A while back, I told you that Google’s index will double by the year 2011 every 11 hours… The amount of pages in its database will double ever 11 hours.  That’s staggering.  It tells us two things — 1) people who position themselves now and base their revenue off search traffic will explode their businesses, and 2) people who wait will be crushed by the competition.  Gone are the low competition days of the Early Internet, but this is still the Wild West in terms of competition — especially where things are going.  The fatal flaw I see most businesses make when they are coming online is lack of planning.  You have to have a plan; you must know your outcome before you set out or you will never arrive.  Without a plan, you will throw thousands of dollars at bad ideas and poor execution and only start the process all over again with another web design firm, and another after that…

So, what is the plan?  How is your business going to take your existing website and actually make money with it?  If you don’t have a website, how are you going to develop it so you can be assured of success…?  If you’re thinking that you’ll simply build it and you’ll get traffic — because naturally, there will be so MUCH traffic that someone is bound to run into you… Well, that is not going to work.  In fact, I’ll tell you bluntly that it’s naive.  It would be like opening up a storefront on the busiest street in town, but not hanging a sign, not unlocking your door, and painting black on the windows…  People will have no idea you’re there or what you do.  You have to be open for business, and on the Internet, that means marketing your website. 

Before you start marketing, you have to look at your site.  Think about it as another business, because unless you’re already in the direct marketing business, it’s a completely different thought process from where you are right now.  I’ll do my best in the pages of this site to inform and advise, but really, consider hiring a reputable, experienced professional — of course, I think my firm would be your best choice — but hire someone who has navigated this course before and can advise you based on their experiences.  Find someone who will advise you honestly on the best course of action for your particular business, which will not necessarily be the cheapest option for you.  Find a firm that specializes in taking real world brick & mortar businesses from offline to online.

Let’s assume for the moment that you don’t hire someone like me.  There are different ways to approach your company’s website.  Think in terms of what you currently offer your community.  Do you see your website as being a business card for your existing product or service, or would you like to conduct sales on the website?  Do you have information you could share with others that would benefit them?  If so, you have the opportunity to package that information and sell it as a book, course or coaching program (among many other ideas).  Your local business can remain a local business online, or be focused on much bigger markets — it really all depends on what you want to do.  The good news is, you can do anything you want on the Internet.  That’s the bad news as well.  A myriad of choices and possibilities, but one of the most crucial things you can do online is decide who you are, decide who is your market, and be that one thing to that one market.  Diversification is death on the Internet.  Niche is success.

Here’s one clever strategy a recent client has decided to implement — consider all the different niches that are within their existing business and create separate web properties for each of them.  Buy up the domain real estate for about $7/year and then take the time to methodically develop those websites fully within the niches they serve.  There is a definitive strategy on what to name your website — the XYZ in your dot.com — which I’ll be happy to share when we speak.

Keep it tight, keep it focused.  Be patient.  You will reap the rewards with your online business(es).

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One of the most common marketing mistakes is not focusing your business on the needs of your prospects and customers.  Take an honest look at your website, your Yellow Pages advertising, magazine ads, etc.  Do you talk about your business or your customer?  As a basic rule, if more than three-quarters of your ad relates to benefits for your Customer or Client, your execution is good.  If most of your advertising concerns your business, your services, your features, your information (location, hours, etc.), then you are failing to be relevant to your Customer.  

Some of the greatest copywriters in the last 70 years have said this in many different ways, but it’s the same basic idea — focus on the sizzle and not the steak.  Focus on benefits, not features.  

People really want to know what’s the upside for them, especially when they are online searching for a solution to their problem.  Do your business a great service and focus on your Customer.  It will help your marketing tremendously.

If it’s too “close to home” to dissect your own marketing efforts, take a look through your Yellow Pages.  Are most of the ads describing the companies (location, hours, honors & accolades, their products or services), etc.?  I think you will find that nearly 100% of the ads you read are focused on the business and not on what the business can do for you, the potential customer.  

It has been said that Internet marketing is a lot like direct marketing; it is “me to you” communication.  This is true whether your website is focused on a B2B (business-to-business) model, B2C (business-to-consumer) model, or strictly informational with no commercial agenda.  It is very direct, personal communication.  Therefore, think in terms of your prpsective customer or client; in everything you create, imagine you are them.  What would you want to know?  

Now think in terms of your own copy (the content in your website or advertising).  After every line of copy, ask, “So what?” as it relates to your customer.  If you can pass the “so what” test at every line, you have something relevant to say to that prospect.

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