How to Survive and Thrive Your Business Online

Everyone wants to know the secret. People at industry convention, executives from Fortune 500 companies, work from home individuals and small business alike all want to know one business secret – how to successfully market themselves online on a global scale.

 

Success in a company is not about having the best technology or being the smartest or even about having the best customer service (although none of these could hurt). More than ever, success is now measured in speed. Today it is about thriving in an ever-evolving world where everything changes so rapidly – and that applies to any business. Today is a world surrounded by buyers who want it now, want perfection and impeccable service.

 

In order to succeed online, your business needs to be organized and able to handle the increased business your web site is going to generate. Here are some guidelines for running a business of speed and complete service.

1. Run your business of speed.



It’s a new phenomenon called Internet time; it’s a 24/7 kind of world today. This means if you’re business is not moving ahead 24 hours a day 7 days a week; your business is falling deeply behind. Internet time means not only doing business quickly but doing it anytime the customer wants and for as long as the customer wants it done. This I what the customers demand, and what every company doing business online needs to offer. The end result is a business that is always working, always aware of potential business, one that is always one call, email or fax away from their clients.

 

2. Having effective meetings means having short meetings.



Meetings are the annoyance of many employees workplace. They involve too little discussion, take up too much time, little gets accomplished, people ramble on too much, and respect and open discussion are often not granted. Meetings though are imperative, but the way in which they are run can definitely be changed for the better. Because the Internet world moves so fast, companies doing business online cannot afford to have unproductive meetings.

 

First set some genuine detail-oriented goals for the meeting. Let people have the option of attending, especially if the issues discussed have nothing to do with them. Post the meeting summary in a place commonly seen by employees, such as the break room. Start and end your meetings on time, and stay within thirty minutes to one hour. Have two or three shorter meetings through the day, with short goals to be accomplished by the next meeting. Also, don’t bore people with anything not on the agenda. Lastly, make the meetings enjoyable; use skits, slideshows, charts, even puppets to get your point across. These moments will likely stick in employee’s heads over the long, drawn-out boring ones.

3. Email several times a day.



In the Internet world, CEOs and employees alike uses technology to supercharge productivity. With all of the pagers, cell phones, laptops, personal organizers and more, email is definitely the most valuable tool. Set up email power sessions with employees; it allows for communication with many employees at the same time and resolves any issues fast. With an email message, you are ensured your message gets delivered to all the right people exactly how you wanted to say it, without the hassle of applying phone tag with employees or risk miscommunication and misunderstanding. Throughout the work day, make blocks of time strictly to email (sending and receiving) at least three to four times a day too.

4. Brand matters on the Internet.



If your business is going to succeed in the Internet world, you will not only need to capture the market share, but also work on improving customer relationships. Whenever your potential or current customers need your products or services, where will they go online? Which Web site will they choose first? Will it be yours? Some tips to increase your business brand online include discovering a way to position yourself as being unique from your competitors. Create the right image, and be sure you continue to reinforce that brand image in everything your company does online and offline. Increase the number of online visitors to your Web site through a variety of Internet marketing strategies.

 

Even if your business only sells locally, do not be afraid to think and market yourself internationally on the Internet. Advertise, advertise, and advertise. Remember the importance of earning your customers trust too.

 

5. The power of feedback.



Ask your customers for feedback, through emails, surveyed phone calls, feedback forms on your Web site, case studies and letters. Ask for feedback often, whenever you are testing out a new product, reviewing sales on an existing product or service, or simply because you want to know how your customers feel about your company. Don’t neglect receiving feedback from your employees too; they know your business too because they work with you.

6. Most importantly, have fun!



Create a working environment where your employees feel free to mix a little fun into their daily routines and express themselves comfortably. After all, a happy employee is a productive one. Let your employees know they are appreciated and needed too, and they will be proud to come to work with you.

 

The Internet world is about building a better business environment through increased communication, greater convenience, personal enjoyment and greater access to information. How does your business measure up online?

BTW, if you have something to say about this article, don't hesitate to comment ;)

Automate Your Online Business!

We are becoming more and more a fast-paced, automated society - so why not our home based or online business? In this article we explore the steps you can take to fully automate your own business - so you can finally take some time to stop and smell the roses....

 

You get up, have some breakfast and head to your home office for a full 8 hour day of optimizing your web site, processing orders, writing articles and press releases and so on. You know that if you stepped away from the office for a day or week or sometimes even an hour, you stand the chance of losing customers and sales. Wasn't part of the benefit of working from home supposed to be the time you would take to have a life as well?

 

Home Based Business is quickly becoming the new 'catch phrase' for the common household. Something that everyone should do, (let's not forget the tax incentives and ability to set your own hours) but unfortunately impossible for some who are already working 40-60 hours per week. Whether that is you, and you can't stop long enough to start up a business from home, or if you are the individual who already has a home based business but can't step away from it for any period of time, automating your business is the answer.

 

There are already a handful of businesses to be found on the internet that are 95% or 100% fully automated. This is reason to celebrate! It makes the idea of starting a home based business more enticing, especially for the individuals who are not internet savvy. These businesses have the selling, explaining and closing feature in place (one of the reasons 95% of new entrepreneurs fail is the awesome responsibility to be able to do those necessary tasks), and most only require the business owner to do the actual marketing of the product, which can also be automated.    

For the rest of the populous, those who already have the product do the selling, explaining and closing but want to market their goods or service via internet as opposed to offline media, then automated marketing is also the answer.

So how do we automate business? First we look at the necessary components of business; product and promotion. If you chose to work with a niche market, favouring something you have a particular interest in, then one of the best and simplest, most cost effective ways to startis by opening a store on Ebay. There, once you find your product supplier (if it isn’t your aunt Nelly’s attic) you can set up your auctions a week in advance, then leave the country for a few days while your auctions close (at a profit of course!) and when you get back, set up the next set of auctions and ship the sold products. Ebay does the advertising for you on their site, closes the sale and sends you the purchaser info. Nicely automated.

 

If you already havea store on the web, you can advertise your new products effectively (and inexpensively / freely) through Search Engine submission, Press Releases and Classified Ad or Ezine Submissions. There are numerous companies on the net that, for a fee ranging from $24 per month to $250 total, will “blast” your ad through classified directories, ezines, and online/offline media, as well as submit your website to 100+ search engine directories, even guaranteeing top 10 placement! Definitely worth the bucks! These too, can be set up in advance, submitted, and then forgotten for a week while you vacation in sunny Mexico. 

 

If you are fortunate enough to have discovered a wonderful new fully automated venture on the internet, then you really have it made! You can set up marketing campaigns through the same “blaster” services and leave the selling, explaining and closing to the automated website that came with your business or through the team leaders that direct your buyers through the sale for you. The Cadillac in internet marketing by far!

Once you have taken the time to set up your campaigns, ads, submissions, press releases, etc. then it is only a matter of pushing a button and watching the sales come in! It really can be just that simple…

Got A Second? – Barely! Grabbing a website visitor’s attention

The blink of an eye! That’s how long it takes a visitor to assess the overall look of your website. Research has recently shown that a site visitor will decide whether or not they like your website in 1/20th of a second. That’s less than the time it takes to blink! And in less than 10 seconds they decide to stay at your website or leave!



The report, published in the latest issue of Behaviour and Information Technology journal, claims that “if the first impression is negative, you’ll probably drive people off. It really is just a physiological response," Gitte Lindgaard told Reuters. What the report does not conclude, is what actually makes a successful, aesthetically pleasing website, but only how much time it would take for a visitor to make that decision.

 

There is no secret! That’s right; there is no single, right way to build a website. There are however many “wrong” ways to avoid.



The real secret of a good website is to eliminate anything that drives your visitors away. And how does one do this you ask? By understanding your target market. That’s the real trick in designing a website that is successful, and more importantly a home page that will retain your visitors.



Too many times new website owners think they need every bell and whistle available. They tend to pack their home page with too many components that are simply “eye-candy” and have no real value to the viewer. Others strip their site down and all you see is miles and miles of content, and no appealing graphics to get excited about.



What is needed is a site with the right balance of graphics and content. By “right”, we mean whatever is most pleasing to your target audience. If you are trying to attract elementary school children, then having a bunch of flashy images, bright colors, and huge fonts would more than likely pull them in. However, if you are attracting Fortune 500 companies those strategies would be a sure turn off.



I like to think of a website as a house. Take your house for example. You probably have a nicely colored front door, and possibly a wreath or other decoration (even just a fancy door knocker) hanging on that door. Chances are you have some sort of welcome mat that you spent time picking out just to give your visitor’s a welcoming place to wipe their feet. You keep the area around your front door clean and tidy. Your front door is welcoming and warm, making your visitors feel like they want to come in, that they want to see more.



In the same way, your home page is the front door to your website. This is the page that you should spend the most time constructing, because if visitors don’t move beyond it then the other pages won’t matter! You want this page to be eye-catching (but not overwhelming), easy to navigate (but not boring), and have the right amount of content to grab the attention of your visitor.



Let’s start with the visual appeal of your home page.



First and foremost you should have a professionally designed logo. Your company name displayed in plain Arial text just won’t cut it for most of your visitors. A nicely designed logo is the first part of establishing credibility with your visitor, and as such should be shown prominently at the top of your website.



Along with a memorable logo, your website should incorporate colors that your audience will respond to.

 

Graphic images are also important to help the viewer relate to your website. Professional photographs can easily accomplish this and still be affordable. There are numerous stock photography houses that provide high resolution images for very affordable prices, or you can hire your own photographer for custom work.

When using images of people, keep it down to earth. Research indicates that while viewers like to see attractive people in their own age group, they should not necessarily be identifiable as models. It’s more important that the images portray someone relatable that looks like them or “real” in their eyes rather than made up.



Your home page should be organized so that visitors quickly understand what they can accomplish. The typical website has logo on top (in a banner sometimes called a masthead), along with navigation either horizontally across top or vertically along the left hand side. Yes, this may seem old and boring, but it’s what visitors have come to expect and rely on. When that gets changed too much they don’t feel comfortable and tend to back away.



Navigation is the key to the flow of your website. Your navigation should have links that can be easily identified. Home, About Us, Our Products, Our Services, Contact Us – yes those are names we’ve seen a hundred times and we think we’d like to fluff that up – but don’t forget that is what your visitor is looking for. Remember, newspapers are written on an 8th grade level in order for the majority of it’s readers to be able to read and understand, and that same principal should apply to your navigation and entire website.



Make sure that your navigation flow makes sense for your viewer, ordering your pages with the most important pages listed first followed by the lesser important or least likely to be viewed pages. This helps assure you get your audience to the meat of your website quickly. To avoid confusion, consistency is key, so whatever navigation you use on your home page should be carried on throughout the remainder of your website.



Last but not least, is content. Content has to be rich and exciting enough to draw your visitor in, and short enough to grab their attention! Research suggests that the average reader can read approximately forty words in ten seconds.



The paragraph above is exactly 40 words. If you only have 10 seconds to pull your viewer in, that’s roughly the amount of content they can take in during that amount of time.



People tend to scan websites rather than read them entirely, so adjust to this fact. Use eye-catching headlines, bolding, bullet points, anything to break up the monotony of a plain paragraph and draw attention to the stuff that is most relevant for them to see. Plenty of white space helps to pull the reader’s eye along through the content of the page. Faced with a large block of text, our eyes tend to skip past it.



In short, you really have no choice but to make your website’s homepage an attention-grabber. Let your visitor know right away they are in the right place, that you have THE answer to their problem, that your company is credible, and that your site is easy to navigate.



Once they find the basic components that are expected they will be drawn in to more of your content and navigate deeper into your website. That’s the foundation for a solid call to action so your website achieves its goal. Remember, you only have a second! 

Selling Products or Services On-Line - A Common Objective

Businesses generally combine the objectives of publicizing their products or services with trying to sell them through their website. This works well as visitors are not only given the briefing about your products and services, but also the option of easily ordering and purchasing online. More easier you make it for people to make a purchase from your company, the more likely they will be to buy. A detailed briefing on your products and services, your return policies, guarantees and warranties and shipping options will have to be provided. Security issues need to be addressed if you are planning to sell directly from the site.

Building a Successful Web Business Through Content

Heard that before? I know I have. The thing I never knew was how to use content to my advantage. Content is useless unless it is optimized for the search engines. It must also be optimized for your reader. You have two customers - readers and search engines. You must satisfy both with the same exact content.

 

Content is king only if you have exact and highly specific keywords placed in correct locations. Unfortunately the hard part is determining what keywords to use. A keyword can be a single word or a phrase. It is the term that web surfers use to search for information. Place yourself in their shoes and try to discover what search terms they use. You must then evaluate the search term. How many people search using that term? How many sites already deliver information on that search term? Simple demand and supply rules. The more demand with the less supply equals more profitability.

 

You have several options for determining keywords and their profit potential. Search yourself, pay a company to search for you or have your hosting company do a complete keyword search for your niche or web business topic. If your hosting company does not offer this service I recommend you switch to a plan that does. This feature alone can make or break your business' future. 

 

Without a proper keyword search and analysis you may as well forget about becoming successful with an Internet business. Investing in this one secret is literally the start of planning your website.

 

Your next action step is to plan your site layout based on the 50-175 high-demand and low-supply keywords. Your site should be structured in three tiers. Tier one is your home page. Tier two is made of all of your main topics and also constitutes your navigation bar buttons. Tier three keywords are sub-topics of tier two pages. Organize your 50-175 keywords into three tiers. Doing this makes it easier for visitors to navigate through your site and it makes it easier for search engine spiders to find all of your pages.

 

Search engine spiders do not like to fish around for all of your pages and links. This is why many sites offer a “site map”. A site map is one page that contains links to all of the content pages. This is a fine route to take; however most people agree that pages with a lot of links on it are valued less than content pages that casually link to other content pages.

 

Using three tiers allows you to go from topic to sub-topic to sub-sub-topic all by natural in-content links. For example, tier 1 is the homepage on a fitness site. Tier 2 is a page all about cardio activity and its benefits. A tier three page off of that tier 2 page is about different treadmill routines. Do you see how the site visitor would like this structure? They click on “Cardio” and are given links to more specific pages about cardio topics. Search engine spiders like the three tier structure too. It means they do not have to dig through layers and levels of useless links.

 

There is even more to content than finding profitable keywords and structuring your site into easy-to-navigate tiers. You must optimize each and every page on your website to perform well and rank high at search engines. Many people devote their working life to optimization secrets. A full length article just on optimizing is possible. Heck, a full length book is possible. My recommendation is to use a hosting company that automatically teaches you how to optimize web pages for the engines. Doing that will cause less headache and frustration and it will keep you focused on building content.

 

A quick education in optimization: place your specific keyword in the file name, title, description and keyword section of your page. Then sprinkle the keyword throughout the content. Also provide a link using your specific keyword in the link text. If all of this has you spinning your head, I recommend going the hosting company I use. They literally teach you to build a website using blocks. It’s all simple and easier than you think.

                                                                                                                

There is one last piece to content. It must effectively pre-sell your product or service and position you as the expert in your field. When your website has 50-175 optimized pages for your visitors to read through it will start to position you as the expert. Your site will become known as the place for information about (insert your niche).

 

When visitors find your site through search engines they are seeking information about a problem or question they have. If they land on your site and you try to sell them something right away one thing is sure- they click the back button and find another site that will give them information. This is why pre-selling your product or service is paramount. Give your visitors what they want. Answer their question and in the process let them know about your services and products.

 

All of the information develops rapport and trust with your site visitor. It positions you as an expert. It keeps your visitor on your site longer since they are actually reading content. Search engines notice this and rank you better. How well your site can keep visitors is known as "stickiness." Your site must attract and keep visitors for as long as possible.

 

Provide content that pre-sells your products, positions you as the expert and focuses on highly profitable keywords. You cannot go wrong with your web business if you do those things. The secret to content is to satisfy both your visitor and search engines. Lose one or both and you are doomed. As I mentioned earlier, it is best to work smarter and not harder. Having a successful web business starts with effective content.