Savvy Business Owner & the Internet

Picture this scenario, business professionals out there: You decide you want to purchase a new digital camera and join the photo sharing revolution available online. What do you do first? Go to the first store, listen to a pimply-faced high school boy who will say anything to get paid minimum wage plus a tiny commission, and plop down your hard-earned dough on whatever he recommends? That does not sound like a great idea to me. Maybe you decide to pick up an office-supply store catalog and look at tiny little pictures to get an idea of available options and prices? Also, not the wisest move. What is the best thing to do then? Well, the best thing to do, no matter what you want to buy is to do some research. The best and easiest way to do that research is through the Internet. Most adults nowadays turn not to the yellow pages, but to Google or Yahoo for information, and the numbers of people who look online FIRST, is increasing every day. If your business does not have an online marketing presence, your competition is leaving you and your product or service in the dust.
So, you make the big decision to get a web page. Then what? How does your business increase revenue with a web page? Well, that is where online marketing strategies come in. You can hire someone to handle all the online marketing for you, or you can choose the more difficult but less expensive avenue and do it yourself. Either way, for your website to be effective, you need to understand online marketing strategies that will get your website noticed by all those cyber-consumers out there.
For purposes of this discussion, we are already going to assume that you have an outstanding product or service and that people want what you have. Marketing can work wonders, as evidenced by the short-term popularity of the pet rock a couple decades ago, but without a good product and good service, the success will be short-lived. Here is what you need to do to make your online presence beneficial to both you and your customers:
1) Build a web page that is attractive and easy-to-understand.
2) Register your site with the major search engines.
3) Pretend you are talking to a single customer and explain, explain, explain how your product will solve his problems. Write it or pay a freelancer or professional writer to write it for you.
4) Include your URL (web address) on all of your traditional advertising.
5) Create and use an email list (database) of your present customers to send newsletters (what Internet folks call ezines), discount offers, and helpful information to your customers.
6) Write articles with strong content and language that is optimized for search engine results so your business “pops up” when a consumer types in a product you sell.
7) Offer discounts or prizes or coupons or other “bonuses” via your web page.
8) Consider online Classified Ads such as Craiglist, which is usually free, and be sure to include your URL in your ad.
9) Blog. A blog is like an online journal. Sit down every day or two and write about your product in a fun way, and include the address of your blog on your web page and all your offline advertisements.
10) Get started NOW! If you need help, hire help; if you can do it yourself, do it yourself.