Marketing has traditionally been driven by “right-brain” practices revolving around the execution of strategic thinking and creative tactics. As you may know, the right side of the brain is where functions such as imagination, creativity and perception of shapes and motions are stored.

However, as the marketing function continues to increase its influence and role within the organization, there is a growing need for “left-brain” practices to come into play. The left side of the brain stores sequential, analytical and logical processes.

That’s where marketing operations comes in, specifically in practices such as quantitative planning and forecasting, constant measurement of marketing performance and consistency in implementation of best-practice processes.

Finding out what works and what does not may indeed be a bit of a challenge, but with a few helpful strategy tips and conviction, that obstacle should be easy to tackle.

To successfully manage an online store you have to pay as much attention to detail and customer service as in the conventional world. Take the time to frequently test all links and features. If a link to your check out or payment page is broken, you might be missing out on a sale!

Working magic on the Web is no different. Use every possible sales channel, including phone orders, mail-order catalogues, and discount offers emailed to your customers. Use every Internet tool available to you, including social networks such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter if possible. Even if it is not business related, still mark every email you send out with your URL.