We now have begun Live Video Broadcasting on www.uExclusive.com! Our first video is Building Your Website – An Overview. This short video highlights domain names, hosting services, design, development, launching, and using. If you don’t have a website and looking to build one yourself or have someone do it for you this is a good start to learning what needs to be addressed.
12 Benefits of Having A Website
September 1, 2010 – 7:45 am
There are many small businesses who don’t have a website. Here are some of the goals that can be achieved by launching a website:
1. Far Cheaper and Much More Flexible Than Print Advertising
The Internet is extremely different from print advertising in that space is cheap, your advertisement is accessible for a longer period of time, the content can be changed without having to ask someone to do it for you (if you use a content management system) and you can potentially reach a wider audience.
This is not to say that you should not use other forms of advertising at all You can use it to entice people to visit your website and find out about your business and potentially open two-way communication between you and a potential customer.
2. Market Expansion
The Internet has allowed small businesses to break through the geographical barriers and become accessible, virtually, from any country in the world by a potential customer that has Internet access.
3. Diversify Revenue Streams
A website is not just a medium for representation of your company, it is a form of media from which everybody can acquire information. You can use this media to sell advertising space to other businesses.
A recent trend has risen where businesses feature their very own directory of complimentary services, where the visitor can search for information on a business that will enhance the use of your service. The business sells complimentary businesses a listing in their directory.
A good example is a catering company featuring a directory with businesses such as event co-coordinators, electronic equipment rental companies, etc.
4. 24 7 365
No more turning customers away when its time to close shop, putting up a note saying closed for public holiday, or leaving an irritating message on your answering service specifying your trading hours tell them to visit your website for information they are looking for.
5. Offer Convenience
It is far more convenient for your potential customer to research a product on the Internet than it is to get in the car, drive somewhere and look for or ask someone for information on a product. Also, they won t have to judge a call center agent to determine whether he/she has their best interests in mind, or just wants to make a sale.
Your potential customer can visit your website whenever they like in their own privacy and comfort, without the stresses and distractions that exist in the real world .
Your website is a self-service medium; for example, instead of having to wait for an appointment to complete necessary forms, you can now do it electronically through your website.
6. Add Value and Satisfaction
By offering convenience, a point of reference and that touch of individualized customer service, you ultimately add value to your offering and your customers experience a higher level of satisfaction.
Your website can add value in other ways too, by featuring tips, advice and general interest content. This will also help them remember you better.
7. Standardize Sales Performance
By looking at which approaches/pitches have worked in the past and those which have not, you can produce the ultimate pitch and use it with your website, so that you use it on every customer. No more training staff and waiting for them to get a feel for your intended sales methods.
8. Improve credibility
A website gives you the opportunity to tell your potential customers what you are about and why you deserve their trust and confidence. In fact, many people use the internet for pre-purchase research so that they can determine for themselves whether a particular supplier or brand is worthy of their patronage, and won’t take them for a ride.
The Internet also allows for Viral Marketing where your website visitors spread positive word-of-mouth about your business – your customers do your marketing!
9. Promote your Brick -n-Mortar Presence
Getting lost trying to find a place can be frustrating for a potential customer. You can publish what they call a dummy map on your website, which shows directions and landmarks graphically, and the potential customer can print it out when looking for your Brick-n-Mortar premises.
You might advertise a promotion on your website encouraging the visitor to visit your Brick-n-Mortar premises (e.g.. At a branch near you! ).
Also, if you recently moved to a new location, you will have to wait for the next phone directory to come out before people figure out where you currently are. Because a website is flexible, you can change the content as you like you can change you contact details instantly and lower the risk of losing customers when moving to a new location.
10. Growth Opportunity
A website serves as a great place to refer potential investors to, to show them what your company is about, what it has achieved and what it can achieve in future.
11. Two-Way Communicative Marketing
Customers can quickly and easily give feedback on your product and/or marketing approach.
12. Cheap Market Research
You can use features on your website such as visitor polls, online surveys and your website statistics to find out what your customers like more and how they feel about certain aspects of your business to determine how you can improve your product and the way you do business.
Website statistics show you how much traffic your website receives, how the visitor got to your website and where, geographically, the visitor is from.
Importance of Having a Website Marketing Plan
September 1, 2010 – 6:52 am
Small businesses need to take advantage of every possible outlet of marketing in order to compete in 2010. The importance of having a website marketing plan is invaluable. Online outlets of promotion cannot afford to be overlooked.
Here are some tips to get you started with your website marketing plan.
Make a promotional video for every aspect of your business. if you are in sales you should make a video outlining all of the advantages your firm presents posted to your website. There is no need for frugality when it comes to video posting. Use other free outlets like YouTube to submit your video to gain free advertising strength for your business.
Set up a blog for your business talking about important issues in your field. Websites are the driving factor for giving your information and product to the public. Having the ability to sell you product or service around the clock is an excellent tool that can improve your bottom line margin. You can post product information, feedback posts, and contact info to your website to separate your company from the competition.
Taking advantage of links to social networking sites can also help promote your small business and help you improve your visibility. Sites like Twitter and Facebook are great choices to start with. Find other people interested in what you have to offer and start to follow them. Get to know them and let them know what you and your business have to offer.
Build a network of traffic and watch your margins increase by the day. it is essential for all businesses to have a successful website to be a competitor in today’s market. But just having a website isn’t enough you have to market that website in order for your potential customers to find you.
That’s why having a website marketing plan in place is essential for your success. The key to making your marketing plan work is consistency. Create a plan and then be consistent with your efforts and you are sure to see results.
Kate Wilber also known as “The Marketing Momma” is a full time online business owner specializing in teaching small business owners how to create a website marketing plan. Check out this link for one small business marketing tool that she offers.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kate_Wilber
How Internet Search Engines Work
August 12, 2010 – 7:01 am
The good news about the Internet and its most visible component, the World Wide Web, is that there are hundreds of millions of pages available, waiting to present information on an amazing variety of topics. The bad news about the Internet is that there are click here to read the article at HowStuffWorks.com
The Core Story – Critical Info You Should Know
August 11, 2010 – 12:17 am
If you own a business, you should know this:
Regardless of what industry you are in or what product or service you sell, more than 95% of your competitors (and you) are all selling the same way: on price, product or service.
And since it costs twice as much today in marketing dollars to get you half the results compared to 15 years ago, maybe it’s time to revisit your marketing initiatives.
Right now you are bombarded with 30,000 marketing messages every day which causes clutter for any prospective end user. If your end user is a business owner then they get blasted with even more messages. So how do you cut through this enormous, thick fog and hit your target?
Marketing is a Science Not an Art Form
Use an education based platform with hard hitting “Wow” data to capture audience attention. You refrain from selling and instead become an educator and expert in your industry by teaching your audience while using an abundance of data.
Noted as “America’s greatest sales and marketing executive” by billionaire Charlie Munger, business growth expert Chet Holmes created the Core Story concept, also called the Stadium Pitch. By educating your audience using market data instead of pitching them with features and benefits, using a Core Story targets your market and speaks to them directly.
It’s powerful and it works.
“Since using the Core Story in our presentations we have a 100% close ratio,” said Andy, Associate Director of a weight loss clinic. “Our sales are up 23% from last year.”
Marcia B. from a property management company wrote, “Our presentation was very well received, was impressive, and we had interest from 21 of the 30 Broker Dealers in the audience. That’s a success.”
Here’s a brief example of how a Core Story works when compared to traditional sales and marketing methods. Let’s say you are in the market for a new family car and visit two dealerships.
Traditional Approach, Dealership A:
“This car seats seven and has terrific safety features. It handles beautifully on the road and gets great highway mileage. It looks really sleek and is priced to meet your budget…”
A Core Story, Dealership B:
“A loved one dies every 15 minutes from a car accident. A car crash is the single biggest cause of death in children and young adults, accounting for $17 billion in medical expenses. Only one automaker is recognized as building the safest cars in the world…this model’s safety record is virtually spotless…”
If you ask yourself honestly, do you want to know more about the safest car or are you fixated on price? Let’s face it, if we all bought on price alone we would all be driving Hyundai’s. In short, you must move your audience and you must scare them with hard hitting, factual data. Regardless of what you sell, even if your competitors sell it at a lower price, you CAN dominate your marketplace.
With a Core Story, that’s the objective.
To be clear, marketing is a science not an art form. If you are a CEO or business owner, it’s ok to admit you may not know the first thing about strategic marketing. The fact is, most CEOs don’t and the reason we know this is they tell us! The good news is your competitors don’t know either, and as 6th Century author Sun Tzu says in his book the Art of War: “He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.”
Roger Grant is an entrepreneur and expert on the Core Story concept. As a Client Relations Director to Chet Holmes and Tony Robbins, he has helped hundreds of companies grow quicker, faster and easier utilizing our proven methodologies. Get your free executive briefing from our website http://www.empireresearchgroup.com and contact Roger for a free consultation. rogergrant@empireresearchgroup.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roger_R_Grant
