Article: Internet Presence - announce yourself/your company to the world.
We all know that a business card is limited to personal contacts. But we can’t meet everyone!
That’s why there is advertising: The usual routes are yellow pages, newspapers and flyers.
Today, I will discuss: websites, email, classifieds, search engines and social networking
(1) Web Pages / Web Site:
[If you have a web site, skip to the next section]
You may think a web site isn’t necessary for your business. The common misconception is that a web site is seen all over the world, but is useless if your customers are local. Leave that choice to the people searching the web! The purpose of a web site is for your business to be found! At its most basic element, a web site is a business card; it is “who you are” and “what you do”. Think of it this way: Instead of handing out a business card per person you meet, a web site is a business card for anyone that finds you! Web sites are “hosted”. The pages reside on computers on the internet. I can create a template web site and host the site for $160.00. This is cheaper than most business cards, and lasts the entire year!
(2) Web Sites for franchisees, employees and individuals.
Want to get more business … as if you were handing out your business card to a lot of people? How about a generic web site – that tells people what you do, and gets them to contact you? Here is an example: You sell Life Insurance for a large known company. But you need more leads. You can’t list the company’s name. Well, just like when you hand out business cards, you usually don’t start with that company name anyway! So, a web site that tells people about you, your contact information, your services and knowledge level is perfect as an introduction. When they pick up the phone and call you, you follow through, just as you would when you hand out that business card. Web sites cost $160.00, and include about 4 web pages (home page, contact, about, services).
(3) Email – personalized without quotas!
Nothing looks as unprofessional as a hotmail, gmail or yahoo email account! On the other hand, an email like Jerrold@schiffkey.com says everything! It gives people your web site (in this case schiffkey.com). It tells people your name, your services or products. It looks really professional. And of course, it is accessible using programs such as Microsoft Outlook, or on the net using a browser (say Internet Explorer, then it is called ‘webmail’). Cost? Your unlimited emails are free with your web site hosting $160.00
(4) Search Engines.
If your web site is designed properly, it will have words that can be picked up by search engines, and your site will be found. Trouble is, this takes time to propagate your web site to be noticed. An active campaign is necessary to help speed things up! If you have a big budget, you can try pay per click. But, if you are like most of us, a slower and cheaper approach is necessary. I have developed an approach that will feed into the search engines, and no matter how they change their algorithms, keep you listed towards the top page for years to come. “Search Engine Optimization” and marketing: I charge $495.00 which is a flat fee. It takes about three months for the tougher web sites. May Mei Garden (google Apopka Chinese Food) took only a week to get to page one. Each business is different, and so are the results!
(5) Social Networking
Now, this is something I bet you think you can do on your own. And be and large, you are correct. But you still need steering in the right direction. What to post. What NOT to post. How to stay out of trouble. The Spin Doctor approach. Advertising do’s and don’ts. While some companies will sell only Social Networking as a standalone package, I’ve included it in (4) Search Engines, above. You’ll see that this is labor intensive, and takes more than one person, per day, to tackle this beast!
