That audacious goal which Bill Gates originally set for Microsoft, to have a computer in every household, is being realized. As well, the word Google has officially now become a verb. I found it in my online dictionary with a definition, to search for information about a specific person through the Google search engine. Our current Australian prime minister has gone as far as to promise to buy a classroom computer for every high school pupil.
Why am I telling you any of this? It is to drive home to you, the reality that the internet has become a vital and indispensable ingredient for everyday existence and functionality, in our Western society. If you have a business and you want to be found by your local or international market, the first place that most buyers now go to look, is on the internet. Personally, I have not looked in a phone book or physical directory of any sort, for a couple of years now. For anything that I want, I search online in preference to any alternate method.
Many home businesses do not have an on-street location. A website provides smaller businesses an inexpensive means for potential clients to get to know what you do or what you sell. Many sites even act as the storefront for selling products directly. The internet has greatly enabled home businesses to prosper because of the low cost start and maintenance of web sites.
Regardless of what type of business, your own website is a very strong marketing tool. Online promotion is a crucial component of any marketing plan and should not be discounted, or considered unnecessary. An attractive, well optimized website can be highly valuable for generating new customers and is an effective sales tool that works for you, even while you are elsewhere and doing something other than working on your business.
When you decide that it is time for you to get business web presence, then our task is to work out specifically what you want from your website visitors. Then you set in place, the structure that channels your online visitors, to take exactly that action. A single purpose website often delivers much greater success than a multipurpose site.
If you are not fully acquainted with the popular social networking and web 2.0 applications available online, or if you are not familiar with the more common and highly effective internet marketing and advertising strategies, then you are best to connect with people, who have more expertise in the field and benefit from guided or direct support.
Internet marketing refers to the strategies that are used to market a product or service online, these strategies include search engine optimization and submission, copywriting to encourage site visitors to take action, web site design strategies, online promotions, reciprocal linking, and email marketing, to just name a few of the bare essentials.
It is important to also have a brand strategy for your online business, communicating very clearly who you are, what you offer and what you promise. On your site you will, in effect, be telling a story that the customer can relate to, outlined rationally and emotionally in a quick and simple message.
Once you are set up online and ready to go, remember also to display your business website address in articles, advertisements, on business cards, and other literature that you distribute, to effectively target potential customers who will have a direct interest in your business or products.
