 BRIGHT IDEAS: HOW LOUD IS YOUR WORD OF MOUSE?
CYBERSPACE -- It reminds me of Captain Kirk and the Enterprise
journeying into the unknown. To find your way down the information
highway, you must provide "meaningful content" that will turn prospects
into customers, customers into repeat customers, and repeat customers
into loyal raving fans.
Websites are a must no matter the size of your business. They are no
longer a marketing vehicle only the big companies can afford. Your
competition is online; your prospects are looking for your site before
meeting with you.
ON LINE MARKETING IS NOT MAGIC
If you're being blinded by $$$ signs thinking of the millions you'll
make with your online sales, you probably need to change your glasses.
It takes more than a spot in cyberspace to build your business on the web.
It takes more than bells, whistles, and graphics galloping across the
screen. The search engines don't care and your target market won't
either if you're not giving them the information they are seeking or the
site is not easy to navigate.
Think about your site from a marketing perspective
- "The Internet allows information to be distributed worldwide at basically zero marginal cost to the publisher." -- Bill Gates, Microsoft Corp.
- How do you drive people to your site? If you just put it up and wait for prospects to find you, you'll be as lonely as the Maytag repairman. Your website requires online AND offline marketing to be successful.
- Knock Knock. Who's There? Interactivity is key to website success. You want to capture data to know who's been perusing your site; so you should encourage visitors to sign in and/or request information, ask a question, etc.
- The least read or last read page on the site is "About Us." Remember, it's not about you; it's about what you are going to do for them, your prospects.
- Your target market wants information about how you are going to make their lives better. Understanding what information your prospects want or need is crucial when determining content.
- Linking your site with other businesses and associations is a good and inexpensive way to get traffic to your site.
Remember the adage: Beauty is only skin deep. It's what is underneath
that's important. Websites are as much about content as they are about
looks.
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