CAMPFIRE BLOG COWGIRL INTERACTIVE HELPS CLIENT SLASH E-COMMERCE COSTS, INCREASE REVENUE
| COWGIRL INTERACTIVE HELPS CLIENT SLASH E-COMMERCE COSTS AND INCREASE REVENUE |
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Phoenix-based internet marketing firm shares strategy on achieving such results in a down economy (June 26, 2009—Phoenix, AZ) –In a challenging economy in which it is almost unheard of to grow a business let alone increase revenue, Cowgirl Interactive, a Phoenix-based internet marketing and outsource firm, recently helped one of its clients, ZO Skin Health, dramatically cut web design and development costs and steadily increase profits. ZO Skin Health, a Del Mar, California-based manufacturer of high-end skin care products created by company founder, Zein Obagi, MD, planned to market the products, which include cleansers, hand creams, sunscreens and more, through an online retail model to health-, age- and beauty-conscious consumers and day spas across the country. ZO Skin Health initially hired a large web marketing agency to build an e-commerce site, which launched in May of 2008. The skin care company found itself racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in development and maintenance fees without any corresponding growth or revenue. ZO Skin Health turned to Leslie Hahn, founder of Cowgirl Interactive, for help in January, 2009. Cowgirl Interactive analyzed the e-commerce site and realized that it was simply an open-source solution without any tailoring to ZO Skin Health’s branding and e-business needs. There was no ability to support the functionality the company needed to compete in the online retail space. Hahn brought in several specialized e-commerce programmers to incorporate Flash capabilities, a blog and customized modules into the site that would help generate the online revenue that the client was looking for. Cowgirl Interactive introduced MouseCall, a feature in which site visitors post questions about skin conditions and the product line that are answered by a panel of skin care experts, even by Dr. Obagi himself. A new blog enables him to write about hot topics and recommendations for skin health that people can then comment on. The firm also developed a Google Adwords campaign to help draw prospects from across the country who are interested in and actively searching online for effective skin care products. Hahn explained her philosophy when working with clients. “We recognize that not everyone who runs a business has the time, interest or ability to keep up with all the latest technologies, their capabilities, the costs involved. But it’s critical that decision makers today understand what they’re getting and how it will help them so they’re not talked into an overpriced solution that doesn’t work for them. We are very upfront with our clients about what they need in their online business to achieve their business goals, as well as what they don’t need.” According to Hahn, in the first five months of 2009, ZO Skin Health saved 62% on its web development costs by transitioning from an outsourced agency to Cowgirl Interactive, and revenue increased an average of 22% per month. The blog alone has helped generate more than 20% of the revenue on the website. The skin care company is now planning to reinvest those savings into marketing initiatives that focus on client retention and acquisition, including a customer loyalty plan, discounted shipping, and affiliate networks, to name a few. “We’ve appreciated working with Leslie and her team, and more important than that, enjoyed the growth—not only in terms of revenues, but customer retention,” said Donna Queen, president of ZO Skin Health. “I used to dread thinking about our website. We couldn’t afford to make any improvements to it because any little change—every little change—was so expensive. But with Cowgirl Interactive we’ve taken marketing initiatives and improved functionality. So I am not afraid of looking at the ROI on our site. Now I look forward to it.” Cowgirl Interactive is a Phoenix, Arizona-based internet marketing and outsource firm founded in 2008 by Leslie Hahn. The firm helps businesses of any size realize cost savings in their online marketing strategies and tactics so that they can reinvest those dollars into other areas that will help grow the business. Cowgirl Interactive prides itself on its unique business philosophy that it does not get paid unless the client sees measurable growth as a result of the firm’s efforts.
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