Hello Kolb Net Works Clients and Friends,
Let's start with a bit of family news. My mother fell on some ice in January and I've been spending about half of my time with her in Watsontown, PA during her recovery.  She's doing well now and my schedule is pretty much back to usual. However, if I'm not in the office when you call Carlos Ramos will be glad to help you. Thanks for your understanding.

Email Newsletter Tips:
A major purpose of this newsletter is to encourage our clients to consider using email in their Internet marketing plans.

Do you get much permission based email? I get a daily email devotional sent to my inbox everyday from http://www.upperroom.com/ The Upper Room. My husband, Lou, gets the same devotional sent to his inbox, too. This way we read the same material and can discuss it later in the day.

I also get our web site traffic report emailed to me on a weekly basis (let me know if you want to receive your traffic reports via email).

Other welcome emails include notes from Chambers of Commerce we belong to. The New York Times sends me the daily headlines via email. And there are several online stores that send me special offer emails that I signed up for.

A good newsletter to study is Park Seed: http://www.parkseed.com - you can sign up on their home page. This newsletter has good product pictures, offers specials and generally makes me want to get out and work in the garden. That's what a good newsletter should do - move a person to action.

I placed an order at Park Seeds the other day for some seeds and a soil test kit. The emails I get include a coupon code which saved me some money. Then after my order, Park Seed sent me another coupon code for my next $50 or greater order.

They are using email to increase their sales. I'm happy to save money. Happy customer, smart company.

I'm a bit of a news and politics junkie. Early this year I signed up for all the major presidential candidates newsletters. Its been really interesting to see how the candidates and their staff communicate with interested people via email newsletters. From the highs of victory to the lows of defeat, the newsletters were a connection to the contributors and voters who could make or break a candidate. If you are studying email newsletters as I am, I recommend signing up for a few political newsletters. Here are a few links:

• http://www.georgewbush.com

• http://www.deanforpresident.com/

• http://www.johnedwards2004.com

• http://www.johnkerry.com

• http://ralphnader.org/

If you don't feel you are ready to put out your own newsletter yet, sign up for a few newsletters from top companies (and competitors) to learn how they are using permission based email marketing.

Web Site Launch news:
http://www.lwgear.com - Lynne Whelden's web site got a sprucing up and was also search engine optimized. LWgear features lightweight backpacking equipment including the One Pound Pack. LWgear also features trail hiking videos (Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail and more) for the outdoor enthusiast.

http://www.lyco.org/lccd - The Lycoming County Conservation District web site recently went live. LCCD encourages using Best Management Practices to conserve the natural resources essential to the quality of life for the county’s citizens, through development and implementation of technical, educational and financial assistance programs.
 

Internet Tips:
Do you know when your web site domain name is up for renewal? It's important to renew your domain name on time to save yourself from the headaches of trying to recover a lost domain name. To check on your domain name renewal date, go to http://www.networksolutions.com and click on the WHOIS link at the upper right. Then follow instructions to see your domain name data. As always, feel free to call or email us if you have any questions about your domain name or renewals.

KNW News:
Fax number update - for years we've accepted faxes via an eFax number and a regular fax machine.  Due to the amount of spam received, we're no longer using our old eFax fax number of 503-217-0922. Please use our standard fax machine at 570-601-1249.

Upcoming events:
I will be presenting a seminar for the Small Business Development Center at Bucknell on March 24, 2004. Title: "Using New Media (websites, email, multimedia) in Your Small Business Marketing Effort." Location: Room 256 in the Langone Center. Time: 9 AM to Noon. Cost $20. You can register online on the SBDC website.

On Sunday, March 28, I will be presenting "Web Site consideration for Non Profit Organizations" as part of NPO slate of programs that day at the James V. Brown library, Williamsport. Contact the library at www.jvbrown.edu to register.

We've started a radio campaign to highlight our Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services. You can listen to the radio spot on our web site at http://www.kolbnetworks.com/news.asp. That's Lou Kolb and Carlos Ramos doing the voice work in the main part, and Mike Yoder from Clear Channel Communications adding the announcer tag.

Welcome new clients: Access Video Productions - a Williamsport firm specializing in corporate, legal, and wedding video production. They'll be getting a new logo and web site from us.

Search Engine News:
Yahoo stopped using Google results for web search returns. Yahoo's site crawler (the agent they use to search and index your site) is called Slurp. Read more at:
http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/ysearch/slurp

Google is now offering more than 4 Billion web pages in their search database.. Read more at: http://www.resourceshelf.com/archives/2004_02_01_resourceshelf_archive.html#107702946623981034

More people search at Google than any other search engine. Current ratings at: http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-5163428.html?tag=nefd_top

Google supports more features than simply searching the web. It can return phone numbers, UPS tracking data and more. You can even use Google as a calculator! See: http://www.google.com/help/features.html

Did you ever notice the paid ads on the right side of Google search results pages? Have you ever wondered how much it would cost to put your company ad there? Call us and we'll run a test to see how much your keyword would cost to show. Costs are calculated by CTR or "Click Thru Rate" and your budget. Keywords are bid on and daily / monthly campaign limits can be easily set. Extensive reports are available for campaigns showing keyword effectiveness and costs. Call us for more details and sample rates. Your paid ad could be showing up on Google for just dollars a day.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO):
Do you yearn for higher search engine rankings? We can help! See http://www.kolbweb.com/searchengineservices.asp

Additional Services:
Did you know that Kolb Net Works also offers ancillary design services including:

• Web Development / ECommerce / Database / Maintenance / hosting
• Multimedia Production: CDROMS, web sites, Video spots
• Domain Registration
• Search Engine Optimization
• Email marketing
• Streaming Media live broadcast and archive
• Flash & Shockwave Development
• Logo Design / Development
• Print Ads
• Brochure / flyer / newsletter design
• Poster design / Buttons / Election campaign
• Postcard design
• Kiosk development
• Ad Campaign Development
• Radio spot writing and producing
• Voice over narration / On Hold messages

Note: issues of current and past newsletters are online and can be viewed at: http://www.kolbnetworks.com/newsletters

As you start your email newsletter address list, please include my email address so I can see how you’re doing.

We appreciate your interest and business,
-----
Kathy Kolb
President, Kolb Net Works, Inc. - Powerful Web Solutions
http://www.kolbnetworks.com --- (570) 326-2888 --- kathy@kolbnetworks.com