64% of small business owners in the U.S. believe consumers will be making more purchases online, than in store for Valentine’s Day 2007.

In 2006, 55% of small business owners in America anticipated a strong overall Valentine’s Day sales season. Only 37% felt the same way this year.

53% of small business owners plan to run special sales and marketing promotions this Valentine’s Day, with online marketing beating out traditional print and advertising by a landslide.

Advertising Broken Down by Percentages:
66%- E-mail Marketing
32%- Online Marketing
16%- Direct Mail
16%- Flyers
12%- Advertising (TV, Radio, and Newspaper)

Source: Constant Contact, 2nd Annual Small Business Valentine’s Day Outlook Survey

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What are some major factors that will either increase or lessen your chances of purchasing an item online? Think about this question for a moment. More than likely, it has something to do with either cost or shipping.

Use the answer you’ve just given above to help refine or write your ads. Like the name implies, Pay Per Click Advertising costs money with each click a potential customer makes. Make sure that once the customer clicks, they know exactly where they will be taken. A good idea is to include information on the item’s cost and shipping details within the ad. A searcher will likely refrain from clicking on your ad if they are looking for a cheaper item and if the price is right- your chances are greater in converting a click to a sale!

-Stacie Leonard, Ecommerce Marketing/Copywriting

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Love is in the air with new Valentine’s Day homepage graphics, created just for you by our design team. A great way to spread the love while promoting your sales.

To save a graphic for uploading, right click on the image and hit Save Image As.

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Austin, TX (Volusion Inc.) January, 2007- Volusion Inc., a provider of ecommerce solutions and website services, announced today that the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) has selected the company as a nominee for “Best eCommerce Solution” for the third straight year. Volusion was chosen as a finalist from more than 1,200 nominations submitted by more than 600 companies, breaking the record set in the 2006 awards. “The 2007 Codie Finalists represent real winners, even at this stage of the contest,” said Ken Wasch, SIIA President. “Competition is fiercer than ever and that makes selection as a Codie Finalist a real achievement. All the companies on this year’s list should feel justifiably proud of their

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