How your website can give your business a boost

I don’t think there’s is an organization left in America that can still doubt the incredible influence the Internet has had on the world of commerce today. It has forever changed the way that business is conducted.

There is no question that e-tailing sales will continue to explode. As consumers become ever comfortable with new technologies, while continuing to be time-constrained, e-commerce represents a compelling option for them. Well over 70 percent of all homes in America now have computers, and for those that don’t, television, cable, the telephone and new portable devices can now provide Internet access.

E-commerce has many advantages. The barriers to entry are low and an at-home agent can start a web-based business easily and inexpensively. The Internet also is very efficient for serving niche markets and helping a business touch its customers often.

Yet, with all of its impact, most agents working from home will readily admit that they have not figured out a viable and affordable strategy that enables them to derive significant revenue from their websites. Here are some tips that should help you to accomplish this objective:

1. The first thing you must decide is what you want your website to do. Is it to serve as your company brochure? Do you want to use it to educate prospects? Would you like to drive real sales from it? The answers to these questions will significantly impact how your site will look and feel --- and how you will market it.

2. Simply having a web presence is not enough. Before you even spend any time and money creating your site, you must determine what strategy you will employ to drive people to it. In this regard, you need both online and offline marketing approaches. Remember, not everyone currently uses the Internet as his or her medium of choice. In addition, many, if not most, of the marketing efforts channeled through email blasts never even get opened. In short, the Internet should not be your sole vehicle for marketing your business.

3. Start promoting your website by indexing your URL with all of the major search sites and directories. There are web submittal services that will do this for you. Also, begin to think about ways that you can get other businesses to put your website on theirs and vise-a-versa. This is called affiliate marketing. There are many services that exist which have ready-made distribution channels that can help you accomplish this easily.

4. Test the benefits of search engine optimization as a vehicle to drive traffic to your website. It really works, and today several new programs exist that will allow you to limit your SEO to your local market, thereby dramatically reducing your costs.

5. Once consumers or other businesses come to your website, you must immediately, and boldly, provide them with proof on your home page that by immersing themselves in your site they will find the products they want or the solutions to the problems they are seeking to resolve. In other words, your value proposition must come across loud and clear. If you read my column on a regular basis, you may have heard me recommend this several times. Ask yourself: what’s the payoff a prospect will get by coming to your website? Then make sure that it is very clearly stated right on your home page.

6. Your website also should be interesting and provide something of value to prospects. It should make them want to come back to the site over and over again. Great deals and sale items are one way to accomplish this, but you can also use education, expertise, new insights, relevant information and entertainment as well. In fact, I much prefer these approaches to build true interest.

7. Once you’ve generated interest in your services through your website, your goal should be to build a meaningful bond with prospects and customers. This is best accomplished by getting them to give you permission to continue to communicate and market to them via e-zines, electronic newsletters and news about sales.

Everything you do should help to build credibility and trust with your targeted audience. Once you have accomplished this – and please realize this takes time   the business and revenues from your website will follow!