Successfully Market Your Online Business
November 24, 2010
Online businesses are becoming the way of the future and there are several steps that you can take to ensure that you are giving your business the best opportunity to become a great success.
Starting with the bare bones, it is always wise to obtain a URL that includes a keword. Obviously, as we are well into the internet ages, these URLs are becoming fewer and further between, so you will need to get creative. For example, if you sell seat cushions, www.seatcushions.com is not available, but you could try something like, www.barrysbestseatcushions.com. This will help to gain rankings because the keyword “seat cushions” is in the title.
Secondly, creating a professional looking website that is not bombarded by too many products or too much information is vital for success.
Third, navigation, the easier it is to navigate your website, the better. It is always a great idea to have product and contact information on the homepage. This way, visitors can obtain the information they came for right away. Clicking through multiple pages to find your products and contact info will likely cause them to lose interest and leave your site.
Fourth, build up your email list. There are several ways you can go about doing this. Collecting email addresses for a newsletter or at checkout are both good ways to grow your list. When collecting addresses, be sure to include in your privacy policy that your customers’ information will not be shared with third parties. This will make your visitors more inclined to share their information and then you have a direct marketing line to their inbox.
This brings us to item number 5. Send our periodic emails to these addresses reminding your customers that your services exist. Offer discounts for returning customers or share new and exciting information about your company. Be sure to not abuse this information by bombarding their inboxes. Keep in mind how annoyed you get by all of the “junk mail”.
Sixth, website optimization. Of course I am a huge advocate for this so I won’t get crazy, but don’t let your competitors keep you buried and take all the business. Creating a web presence for yourself is vital to sustain your online business. This includes being in the top 5 (some would argue, top 3) positions for your keywords on Google.
Seventh, and secondary to SEO. Putting money into a PPC (Pay-Per-Click) campaign helps to create the web presence that I touched upon above. This can be supplemental to your SEO campaign as you build up your keywords to sustain Page 1 positions on their own. While this can be a little pricey, it is ALWAYS a great idea to put into place as you grow your web presence.
Last, but not least. Provide your customers with stellar customer service. This goes back to the olden days, but customer service is of the utmost importance to any business. Have your customers feeling as if they are appreciated and respected and they will be coming back for years to come, giving them discounts and coupons never hurt either!
…go forth and make me proud! =)