By Monique Martin
If no one knows you’re there, no one’s going to come. A good location on the Internet might be virtual, but the customers you get from it are very real. When people are considering where to go to eat, they’ll often search the Web for ideas and recommendations. If your restaurant isn’t listed on the most popular sites for diners, you’re missing out on a huge segment of potential customers. Here are some of the most important sites for restaurants to have a presence on. (more…)
By Joanna Fletcher
Building your contact and customer list is crucial for business development. It can be tempting to simply use existing lists that are free and available to everyone when you are first starting out. Whether this is going to be effective for your business will depend on your product and your target market. The following pros and cons should help you decide. (more…)
By Monique Martin
For the small business owner, Web site promotion never stops. You’ve got to keep publicizing your business every way you can to help it stand out from the crowd. Winning Web site awards doesn’t just give you the warm fuzzies, it can be a great way to improve your business’s exposure, get quality backlinks and increase your online credibility. (more…)
By Joanna Fletcher
Making money from your Web site can seem pretty straightforward – generate traffic then sell ad space, or create a virtual store to sell your own products, or join an affiliate program from one of the big guys like Amazon. Once you have a solid ecommerce process like Paypal or a shopping cart, there are some other ways to make your Web site work for you and start making some money. (more…)
By Winmark Business Solutions
Most marketers know that 20 percent of buyers consume 80 percent of product volume. If you could identify that key 20 percent and find others like them, you could sell much more product with much less effort.
The heavy users of your product can be thought of as a market niche that you should attempt to dominate. Niche marketing today means targeting, communicating with, selling and obtaining feedback on the heaviest users of your business's products or services. (more…)
By Winmark Business Solutions
If the universe of all potential buyers is your market, then the market can be divided up into sections or segments based on any number of factors. For example, you might divide up your customers by age group and find that you sell most of your products to people aged 18 to 34. You might divide them up by family size and find that you sell most of your products to married couples with young children. You might divide them up by economic status and find that you sell most products to people with an annual income of about $50,000 to $100,000. You might divide them up by geographic location and find that you sell most of your products to people living within two specific zip codes.
Many small businesses stop there, thinking they have enough information to be able to identify and communicate with their most likely customers. However, larger companies will attempt to push on further and find out even more information about their customers' lifestyles, values, life stage, etc. (more…)
By Vilie Farah
A retail Web site is easy to imagine, loaded with images of products and prices and sometimes even a shopping cart for online purchases. But the service Web site is trickier. How can your Web site communicate all of the great things about your company when you sell a service, not a product?
Here are some tips for creating a Web site that really sells your services: (more…)
By Tammy Elizabeth Southin
“As an independent real estate agent, can my Web site compare to that of a larger agency?” Just like your small business, when it comes to a Web site, it is not the size that matters. Break through the monotony of similarity that agencies use, and build your Web site to separate the best from the rest.
Forget bricks or siding; buying a home is an emotional investment. Your Web site must reflect that at every opportunity by using the following elements that address a buyer’s practical and emotional motivations. (more…)
By Robert McDonald
Even the smallest law practice will have a Web site that occasionally recruits a new client. But, as you are well aware, in a competitive market “occasionally” isn’t good enough. In this article we will review ways to optimize your existing Web site to attract potential new clients. (more…)
By Tammy Elizabeth Southin
If you run a contracting business, think twice before dismissing the idea of being on the Internet. You might ask “What could a Web site possibly do for my business when I get most of my work through referrals, and besides, I have more than enough work?” You should really ask “Can I afford not to have a Web site as a contractor?” (more…)