Recently I came across a request on Twitter for an effective means to update the .htaccess file to redirect all pages to a new domain without having to update for all subdirectories.  Here are a couple choices which can be easily placed in the root .htaccess file.

OPTION 1 (this does not need the RewriteEngine module)

• Redirect permanent / http://YourNewDomainAddressHere.com/

Option 2 (this requires the use of the RewriteEngine module)

• Options +FollowSymLinks
  RewriteEngine On
  RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^oldwebsiteaddress.com$ [OR]
  RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www.oldwebsiteaddress.com$
  RewriteRule (.*)$ http://www.YourNewDomainAddressHere.com/$1 [R=301,L]

With the recent announcement from ICANN of the release of potentially new domain extensions beyond the existing (com, net, org, edu, etc.) we have to wonder what is the value to businesses to obtain them?  Many of our clients have significant investments in their domain names and at first glance, this new “opportunity” from ICANN appears to have created a financial windfall throughout the registration process with the significant registration fees.  Beyond that, what is the value for businesses and corporations to apply for, obtain and long-term support their personalized domain extension?

Over the past twenty years I’ve been fortunate to have worked with a number of great companies and helped develop and manage their various CRM and loyalty programs. Many of these include National City Bank, Makers Mark, Valvoline Instant Oil Change, Canadian Mist, Kentucky Lottery and Purina to name a few. With any loyalty program and marketing campaign, it is imperative from the beginning to establish goals and develop measurements against those to identify success as well as areas of improvement.

One of the most common questions as marketers we receive is how often to communicate with our prospects and consumers.  Regardless if it is door-to-door, telemarketing, direct mail, email and now social media, the question has always been the same, how often is too much?