PSPINC Official Company Blog

PSPINC What’s New Newsletter Vol. 124 “Simplifying Sales Cycles”

Jul

14

When selling products, it’s essential to always think about the sales cycle from the customer’s point of view. Many content management systems (CMS) have built-in or additional features that make it easy to set up a payment portal. But you can still inadvertently make the purchasing experience complicated or too invasive. For example, if users have to get through too many pages before they get to the end, they’ll likely bail midway. Or if you’re asking for personal information that customers don’t think is necessary, they won’t be willing to share it. Instead, they'll shop elsewhere.

While the purchasing stage of the overall customer journey may seem simple to you as the business owner or developer, it doesn’t mean it’s easy for the customer. If you’re unsure how easy it is to purchase something from your site, try it out! Act like a customer by going to your website. Then try purchasing your product. If there are too many steps in the process, get rid of some. If the questions are too personal, take them out because, odds are, you probably won’t need them. So, when selling a product on your website, pay special attention to how the customer will go through the sales cycle. Then, eliminate everything that could cause a customer to abandon the process and simplify it everywhere you can.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #digitalmarketing #ecommerce #marketing #marketingdigital #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #smallbusiness #tech #technology #webdesign #webdevelopment #website #websitebuilder

PSPINC What’s New Newsletter Vol. 123 “Turning Frustration Into a Successful Business”

Jul

7

When marketing your business, a lot of business advice tells you to stand out among your competitors. After all, you want to give potential customers a good reason to choose your product over another. Especially if there are numerous like-products already out there. One thing entrepreneurs might want to consider when developing products is finding a solution to something frustrating.

For example, have you ever tried to attach a file to an email only for it to say that your file’s too big? Every email provider has a file size limit. But for users who need to send over large files, it’s a frustrating experience. It’s why PSPINC created MegaMail, which allows us and users alike to send or transfer large files to anyone. If you’re frustrated about something, odds are other people feel the same way. If you can create a product that does it better than anything else on the market, you’ve got yourself a successful business.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #digitalmarketing #marketing #marketingdigital #newsletter #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #smallbusiness #tech #technology #web

How to Market Your E-Commerce Site

Jul

5

If your business sells online, a great e-commerce site isn’t the only thing you need to be successful. Like every sold offering, you also need to market your e-commerce site. After all, what good is an e-commerce site if no one knows about it? According to DataReportal, about 58.4% of internet users buy something online every week. And that figure will only continue rising. To reach those users, they need to know that you offer what they want or need. To do that, you’ll need to market your site effectively.

Optimize for Search Engines

a laptop open to google with a travel mug on the table

Search engine optimization, or SEO for short, is a process that will help your site and your products come up on relevant searches. This process involves finding and optimizing your site for keywords related to your business and what you’re selling. And throughout the process, you’ll want to focus on making sure your site is mobile-friendly and doesn’t take too long to load. All this combined will give users a better overall shopping experience, encouraging them to purchase from you.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising

letter tiles spelling out pay per click on a desk with a computer keyboard in the top left corner and an iphone in the bottom right corner

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising refers to a paid marketing strategy that helps increase your site’s overall exposure. Specifically to people actively interested or looking for what you have to offer. As the name suggests, you pay every time someone clicks on your ad. These ads refer to paid search, display, or shopping ads, all run on Google’s display network. And because of how popular Google is, you’re almost guaranteed brand awareness. However, you’ll need to use relevant keywords to reach the right people.

Email Marketing

the google, mail, and phone apps close up on an iphone

Another great tactic to promote your e-commerce site is email marketing. On your e-commerce site, you can add a pop-up form where visitors can opt-in with their emails. With this, you can send personalized emails to your customers and/or potential customers about upcoming sales and overall company news. And with email marketing tools like NewsMAIL, creating an effective email marketing campaign is easy. People who sign up for these emails send the message that they’re interested in what you have to offer, increasing the likelihood that they’ll convert into paying customers. You can also use this tactic to personalize offers depending on their interests, send surveys to learn more about your customers, and even recapture those who abandoned their cart.

Social Media Marketing

Then, there’s social media marketing, which can be helpful for all things business-related. Like all the other marketing tactics on this list, it will help increase your brand’s awareness. Plus, it'll encourage people to engage with your content. To better market your e-commerce website, your social media content should not only promote special deals but also spark conversation. And when users engage with your posts, reply to them to build that relationship with them. Over time, they'll convert them from social media spectators to potential customers.

Optimize for Conversions

The focus of an e-commerce business is to generate sales and earn conversions. But sometimes, you might not be converting as much as you’d like to. This is where conversion rate optimization (CRO) comes in. What this entails is making sure that the checkout process is as seamless as possible. The checkout process should be streamlined, with clear and actionable call-to-action (CTA) buttons and attractive visuals of your offerings.

Overall, an e-commerce business needs a good marketing strategy to be successful. But before you can do that, your e-commerce site needs to be in the best shape possible. Luckily, PSPINC has a stellar e-commerce hosting solution, YourHost. And our ShopSite plans are currently on sale for new customers. For the first two years, you can start your e-commerce site starting at just $15/month.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #conversions #digitalmarketing #ecommerce #emailmarketing #google #internet #marketing #marketingdigital #newsmail #ppc #seo #shopsite #smallbusiness #socialmediamarketing #technology #websites #yourhost

PSPINC What’s New Newsletter Vol. 122 “Flexibility in Business”

Jun

30

Product ideas don’t come easy. But it’s important to remember that whatever idea you have will change as time goes on. And the same goes for your business plans. You may create something with a specific purpose, but customers could find an entirely different purpose. For example, did you know that bubble wrap was initially supposed to be intended as wallpaper? And when that didn’t work, engineer Al Fielding, and inventor Marc Chavannes tried to make it work as insulation for greenhouses. But that didn’t work either.

It was only until a marketer at Sealed Air, Frederick W. Bowers, found the perfect use for it three years later in 1959. At the time, IBM came out with a new computer. Bowers thought bubble wrap would keep it safe during transit. And he was right. If you’re unwilling to budge on your original idea, your product won’t be successful. As an entrepreneur, you need to listen to your customers to see where to improve. With a business, you don't need to plan everything. Innovation is messy. But perfection is overrated. As long as you’re constantly testing, learning, and improving, that’s all anyone can ask for.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#blog #bubblewrap #business #businesstips #marketing #newsletter #pacificsoftwarepublishing #packaging #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #sealedair #smallbusiness #wallpaper

Employee Spotlight: Meet Toko

Jun

28

We pride ourselves on our fantastic sales team and have an amazing and supportive staff. In this series, we will highlight and showcase a number of those friendly faces who are standing by to take your call or email, help with your IT problems, and assist with your online solutions. This time, we’re shining a spotlight on our sales team member, Toko Oiwa.

Meet Toko

Toko is in charge of Sales and Marketing at our San Diego office! We sat down with Toko and asked her a series of questions to get to know her better.

What do you do at PSPINC?
I consult with customers to help with their business website as well as marketing needs.

What does a typical day on the job look like for you?
It depends on the day. I usually have one or two meetings a day with either existing or potential customers. If I’m working on a website creation project, I’m usually working closely with the client to do so.

How did you first learn about PSPINC?
From San Diego Town!

How long have you been working at PSPINC?
I started working here last July, so about 11 months now.

What's your favorite part about working here?
Meeting new people and learning more about their business so that we can tell them what we can provide to help them grow their business online.

What's the most challenging part of your job?
A lot of what Yume and I do involves building up our knowledge of sales from scratch, which can be difficult sometimes. The good thing is that we both enjoy the challenge!

Before working for PSPINC, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
In Japan, I worked at a Tully’s coffee shop. I think that’s where I realized I love to talk to people.

What have you learned about sales/marketing since working here?
It changed the way I think about sales. I’ve also learned effective communication and consulting skills.

What kinds of skills do you think a salesperson needs to succeed?
Being open minded and smiling! 😀

What has been your favorite project at PSPINC?
We held an open house in San Diego, which we planned from scratch. We were all able to connect with each other during the event and the people who came had a great time.

What has been your proudest moment at PSPINC?
I introduced local sake maker to a local Japanese restaurant and they decided to carry the Sake! I believe building network is important so those moment makes me very happy and proud.

What do you like to do for fun?
Recently, I’ve liked doing my nails! Also, I love going to breweries on the weekend and grabbing some local beers!

What is your favorite movie?
All the James Bond movies, The Notebook, and Friends. I know Friends isn't a movie, I'm just a huge Friends fan!

What’s your favorite food?
Noodles. Especially ramen, pho, and udon.

Tell us about your family.
My dad, mom, younger sister, and French bulldog, Anne, are back in Japan and I miss them. We even have an Instagram page for our dog you can check out!

Where would you want to go on your ideal vacation?
Italy.

What have you been most passionate about?
Before coming to the U.S., I did ballet for over 13 years, and I miss my flexibility! I’m thinking of restarting ballet soon, so if you know of any good ballet studios in the San Diego area, please let me know!

Anything else you want to mention?
I’d love to visit Seattle one day. Let me know what restaurant recommendations you have for me!

We hope you enjoyed getting to know Toko today! If you’re a business in the San Diego or Los Angeles area that wants to grow their business online, don’t hesitate to call Toko at 619-539-6432. She and her team are experts dedicated to helping you!

Do you like what you heard about PSPINC? Check our open positions, we are always looking for talented individuals looking to fast track their career in technology!

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#business #employee #employees #employeespotlight #friends #jamesbond #losangeles #losangelestown #marketing #pacificsoftwarepublishinginc #pspinc #sales #salespeople #salesperson #sandiego #sandiegotown #seattle #smallbusiness #thenotebook #tullys

Announcement: Dreamersi WebdeXpress Update

Jun

23

We’re pleased to announce that we’ve now updated the admin panel within WebdeXpress that encourages customers to switch over to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) from Universal Analytics (UA). Earlier this year, Google announced they’d phase out UA. Because of this, it’s recommended for website owners to switch to GA4 sooner rather than later. That way, users can start accumulating data as your historical data from UA won’t move over to the new system.

screenshot of the new google analytics panel in dreamersi webdexpress

In line with this, we updated the WebdeXpress admin panel, a website creation tool our hosting service provides. The new changes are as follows:
• Added GA4 as an option.
• A notice on the side encouraging UA users to switch over to GA4 if they haven’t already.

screenshot inside data streams settings in ga4

screenshot inside data streams settings in ga4

To switch over from UA to GA4, you’ll first need to open Google Analytics. Then, you’ll see GA Setup Assistant under the Property column. From there, it’ll give you instructions on how to set up your GA4 for your website. After that, you’ll want to find the tracking ID on your newly updated GA4 property. To do that, open your new GA4 property in Google Analytics and go into the admin settings. Then, click on Data Streams which you can find under the Property column. After that, click on the web data stream icon (looks like a white globe against a blue background). Once you do that, you’ll see the measurement ID in the far right with a G in front of it. To add it to the new admin panel update, copy and paste that code and put it in the Tracking ID input box.

How to configure settings in WebdeXpress:
1. Click on “Site Settings Management” on the WebdeXpress admin panel.
2. Click on “Basic Settings” and then “Google Analytics”.
3. Select “Google Analytics 4” from the “Analytics Version” drop-down menu.
4. Enter the measurement ID for your website in the form of "G-XXXXXXXXX" in the input form.
5. Click “Save” at the bottom of the page.

If you’re not a Dreamersi WebdeXpress customer but need to update your embed code to support GA4, we have an incredible support team who'd be happy to help. To contact our support team, you can call us at 800-232-3989 or email us at support@pspinc.com.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #business #businesstips #businesstools #customerservice #customersupport #dreamersi #googleanalytics #marketing #seo #smallbusiness #tech #technology #universalanlytics #update #web #webdevelopment #webdexpress #webhosting #website #webtools

PSPINC What's New Newsletter Vol. 121"An Elevator Pitch"

Jun

23

Have you heard of an elevator pitch? It’s the idea that if you got into an elevator with an investor, what would you say to try to sell to them? It should be short, concise, but still compelling enough to introduce yourself and showcase your expertise in a way that will convince the other person to invest in you. Like marketing yourself or whatever you’re trying to sell in a short amount of time. But what components do you need to make a good elevator pitch into a great one? You want to sell effectively, but you also want to stand out amongst others who are also trying to sell to this investor.

While every elevator pitch will undoubtedly be different, there are components you want to ensure you include. For example, say you’re trying to sell a specific product. The first and obvious thing you need is the name of that product. Then, informing them about what market category it fits in and who the target customer would be is also an important detail to add.

After that, the investor needs to know why a potential customer would need this product, at least one key benefit, what similar products already exist on the market and what makes it different than everything that's already on the market. While it seems like a lot to fit in a 90-second window, if you know your product well and truly believe in it, it’s easy. Making an elevator pitch go successfully can be tricky, but it relies on making sure you include the most crucial details. The rest is up to you.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #business #businesstips #digitalmarketing #elevatorpitch #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingtips #newsletter #pitch #pspinc #pspincwhatsnewnewsletter #sales #salespitch #smallbusiness #tech #technology

PSPINC What's New Newsletter Vol. 120 "Cultivating Meaningful Business Relationships"

Jun

16

A vital part of maintaining a successful business is cultivating meaningful relationships. Loyalty from your customers is essential to build a truly sustainable brand. Sales transactions are great, but what you’re really looking for as a business owner are customers who continually come back. It shows people that your brand and the products you sell are reliable. And it’s a big reason why the most successful companies in the world are as successful as they are. When our customers call PSPINC, they know they aren’t just calling our company. They know exactly who to ask for because our support team is full of experts who know how to build that relationship with them.

But this doesn’t just go a long way toward potential customers. The business community is enormous so having solid connections within it is also important. Business relationships help establish your reputation in the business world. And the best part is that they can also foster long-term and even lifetime friendships with others. From that, beneficial partnerships can form and bring in new and repeat customers. Meaningful business relationships open the door to incredible opportunities for success. And it’s why we value it so highly at PSPINC.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#b2b #blog #branding #business #businesstips #customerfeedback #customerservice #customersupport #digitalmarketing #marketing #networking #pacificsoftwarepublishing #partnerships #pspinc #relationships #smallbusiness #technology #whatsnewnewsletter

Employee Spotlight: Meet Yume

Jun

14

We pride ourselves on our fantastic sales team and have an amazing and supportive staff. In this series, we will highlight and showcase a number of those friendly faces who are standing by to take your call or email, help with your IT problems, and assist with your online solutions. This time, we’re shining a spotlight on our sales team member, Yume Veliquette.

Meet Yume

Yume is in charge of Sales and Marketing at our San Diego office! We sat down with Yume and asked her a series of questions to get to know her better.

What do you do at PSPINC?
I work in social media marketing and run San Diego Town and Los Angeles Town, which are both local Japanese portal sites. I consult with clients about their websites as well as on social media content and designs.

What does a typical day on the job look like for you?
My day usually includes holding meetings with customers, interviewing and visiting local businesses to write blog content for them, and other marketing tasks. It really depends, honestly.

How did you first learn about PSPINC? What drew you to the position?
I saw a job listing for San Diego Town, and since I have experience building websites for myself, helping small businesses grow online sounded like something I’d like to do.

How long have you been working at PSPINC?
Since December 2020, so it’s only my second year working at PSPINC!

What's your favorite part about working here?
Meeting new people almost every day and helping them grow their business online. Also, I love that I’m able to try new ideas and have such a helpful team.

What’s the most challenging part of your job?
Helping customers build their website from scratch for brand new businesses. It mostly consists of consulting for businesses, but I also love that part of my job.

Before working for PSPINC, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
I was the owner of a small ballgown boutique in Okinawa, Japan that was imported from the New York and Los Angeles fashion districts.

What have you learned about sales/marketing since working here?
The biggest thing that I’ve learned from our CEO is to serve, not sell. I’ve also learned communication and consulting skills as well as how to maximize my team members’ potential.

What kinds of skills do you think a salesperson needs to succeed?
Listening skills to determine what customers really need and being helpful are essential skills to have in sales.

What is your proudest moment at PSPINC?
I have a customer that came to us for help with social media marketing and their goal was to hire employees through social media. Within the first month of starting that project, we achieved that goal.

Tell us about your family.
I have a husband and a baby boy who just turned one!

What is your favorite movie?
I can’t pick just one, but my favorites include Burlesque, Hairspray, Free Guy, and Guardians of the Galaxy. I like most of the Marvel movies, really.

Where would you want to go on your ideal vacation?
I’d like to go back to Okinawa, which is also my hometown.

What’s your favorite food?
Taco rice, which is Okinawan soul food! It’s just taco ingredients on top of rice, but it tastes so good!

What have you been most passionate about?
I was a color guard in a marching band for seven years and we went to nationals every year. After graduation, I coached at a high school as well as an elementary school.

Anything else you want to mention?
I have a smart house, so my whole house talks.

We hope you enjoyed getting to know Yume today! If you’re a business in the San Diego or Los Angeles area that wants to grow their business online, don’t hesitate to call Yume at 619-806-7242. She and her team are the experts dedicated to helping you!

Do you like what you heard about PSPINC? Check our open positions. We are always looking for talented individuals looking to fast-track their career in technology!

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.

#business #employee #employees #employeespotlight #friends #jamesbond #losangeles #losangelestown #marketing #pacificsoftwarepublishinginc #pspinc #sales #salespeople #salesperson #sandiego #sandiegotown #seattle #smallbusiness #thenotebook #tullys

PSPINC What’s New Newsletter Vol. 119 “ShopSite Plans on Sale for New Customers”

Jun

9

YourHost is PSPINC's easy and reliable e-commerce hosting solution. With the power of ShopSite, customers get resourceful e-commerce tools to help build and maintain your online store. We’re excited to announce that we’ve just reduced our price plans specifically for new customers! For the first two years, new YourHost ShopSite customers can start selling online with an impressive e-commerce site starting at just $15/month! After the first two years, standard rates will apply.

shopsite plans with pricing and features included in all 3 plans

shopsite plans with pricing and features included in all 3 plans

With our ShopSite plans, customers get incredible web hosting features! All ShopSite plan customers get access to our YourHost Neo web and email features, an SSL certificate, an initial setup by a trained technician, over 50 themes to choose from, over 25 payment methods, and U.S-based support from our team! Those who choose our Pro plan will also get many more features such as:

• Unlimited products
• Store search
• Real-time shipping rates
• Coupons
• Quantity pricing
• Cross-selling
• Product reviews
• Facebook store

This will be an ongoing promotion for new customers, and the new prices will be in effect for customers’ first two years on one of our YourHost ShopSite plans. Plans are billed monthly. Grow your online business by creating a stunning e-commerce site with one of our YourHost ShopSite plans.

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc.

1404 140th Place N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007

PSPINC Creates Tools For Your Business

Pacific Software Publishing, Inc. is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington and provides domain, web, and email hosting to more than 40,000 companies of all sizes around the world. We design and develop our own software and are committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and thrive online. For more information you can contact us at 800-232-3989, by email at info@pspinc.com or visit us online at https://www.pspinc.com.