Ten years ago, after taking a class on developing Web sites at USM, I realized I could market the products I was making and giving away as gifts. I wrote a business plan and started Maine Warmers as an online retail store. I came to realize as I developed the plan that the web is not just a place where people buy your products, but a place where you interact with customers and potential customers. As a business your need to know about the needs of the customers – as a web site designer you need to be aware of these needs also.
My biggest priority among all marketing activities is corresponding with our customers (nothing tech about it). Human interaction, with a reply to thank them for their order and tell them when it will ship, is critical to establishing relationships and trust. We allow customers to see the human side of our Web site. We phone them when we need to tell them something is out of stock or if we make a mistake (which we admit to). Essential to the plan are other central pieces of operating a business -- such as keeping inventory in stock and timely shipping.
To be continued
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Maine Warmers is an e-commerce Web site, specializing in the sale of microwave heating pads for sore muscles and to warm hands and feet.
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