FEATURE ARTICLE

The etiquette of email:
How to send emails without being mistaken for spam

The widespread use of business email has lessened consumer response as a whole. Spam and unnecessary emails have desensitized users, making them leery of unrecognized emails. Just as they toss out junk mail at home, consumers are quick to judge emails “genuine” or “junk” in their electronic mail box and have adopted a “when in doubt, throw it out” policy. Unless there are signs an email is legitimate, it runs a high risk of being deleted, unopened. Learn how to keep your customers from tuning out your emails.

MonsterDataPort v5.0 Beta Release
In response to client feedback, a new and improved version of MonsterDataPort is currently in development. DataPort will be the next application in the MonsterCommerce Beta Program, which is scheduled to begin on March 21st and continue through April 7th. Some of the improvements being tested during Beta include:

• All new user interface
• Ability to import State/Province tax and ZIP tax
• Option to work offline

As more information becomes available it will be released to the MonsterSmallBusiness Forums and posted to the Knowledge Base. Stay tuned to these sites for more information on this exciting new release!

MonsterCommerce Tech Support Offers Help for Tax Season
The technical services department has the expertise to help you with generating reports on your sales from the past year. The technical services team can aid in exporting any of your site’s information or files. Call 1-800-353-6582 for more information.

Congratulations to February's MonsterSellers
The MonsterSeller Award medal is given to those merchants who sell a specified number of products through their MonsterMarketplace store listing within the month. Listings are marked with a Platinum, Gold or Silver medallion. MonsterSellers for February.

MonsterMarketplace Merchant Spotlight Award
Congratulations to Brenda and Scott Turner for their site, TheToolmaster.com. Brenda and Scott were chosen to be recognized as March’s Merchant of the Month.

Take Five

Each month, we ask a different MonsterCommerce merchant the same five questions regarding their online business and its success.

This month's featured merchant is HandCarvedGifts.com HandCarvedGifts.com offers a variety of fine wood hand-crafted replicas of classic American cars and motorcycles.

Owner: Carol Vrtis

MonsterCommerce merchant since: November, 2005

Best-Selling Product:
Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail in Mahogany

1. What is your favorite feature about your site right now?
   The product manager. It is easy to arrange products, update descriptions and add new products.
   
   
2. What was one major obstacle to your store's success, and how did you overcome it?
   Getting the site up quickly. We started well into the holiday shopping season, so we wanted to move quickly. MonsterCommerce features and tools made it easy to bring up the site within a few days.
   
   
3. To what do you attribute most of your site's success?
   High quality products, excellent customer service and MonsterCommerce features for easy management.
   
   
4. What is the best or most rewarding experience you've had so far selling online?
   All the great feedback from happy customers, it is always good to know your products are appreciated.
   
   
5. What web sites or online tools or resources would you not be able to live without?
   Google, MonsterCommerce and Yahoo!

Industry News

• Local search market expected to double this year
  Figures are expected to reach close to one billion dollars and continue rapid growth throughout 2007.
  
  
• Demographic ad targeting added to AdWords features
  Google AdWords now allows you to pick up to three categories for your ads.
  
  
• Paid advertising market to hit $10 Billion by 2009
  Paid search spending is expected to grow by 26% this year, showing slower growth than last year.