By Jen Brister
For many small business owners, having a Web site is very important to their business development. But for some, it's not quite clear how to use the business Web site to their best advantage. If you want your Web site to work for you and your business, you will need to create a business development strategy for your Web site. Without a clear plan in place, you run the risk of losing your focus and ignoring your Web site, which may cause you to lose valuable profits.
Get a Web Site
Your Web site should be an integral part of your overall business plan. By working together with your on-site business and your Web site, you will be able to more easily reach the goals that you have set for your company.
If you already have a business Web site, then your focus should be on marketing and enhancing that site. If you do not have a Web site, then you should focus on designing one specifically for your company and having it built.
Outline Your Plan
Your Web site business development strategy should be outlined in the same way as your regular business marketing strategy. You should begin by stating your objective. Your objective should be formed around the main purpose of your Web site. If your purpose is keeping in contact with clients, the your objective could be "To maintain weekly contact with current and potential clients." If the purpose of your Web site is to sell your products over the Internet, your objective would be something like, "To build and market the Web site as a sales tool" or "To increase sales by 10 percent using our Web site."
Strategize
Next, you will need to build a marketing strategy. This strategy will outline how you will accomplish your objective. If your objective is primarily to stay in contact with clients, your marketing strategy might state that you will do "x" number of blog posts per month and try to gain "x" number of new client readers per month. Part of your strategy may also be to increase your monthly Web site views by 5% each month.
Your marketing strategy should be work directly to help you meet your objective. Be specific with your strategy. Begin too vague leaves room for mistakes and apathy.
Once your marketing strategy is in place, you will need to list the marketing tactics that you will use to implement your marketing strategy. In the above example, you may decide to offer a drawing for a prize in order to collect more client email address. You might decide to increase awareness of your Web site by placing your web address in more visible areas, such as your company sign or your business cards.
By using marketing tactics and a clear marketing strategy to accomplish your objectives, you will be able to meet your Web site goals much more easily. Keep your Web site development strategy posted in a visible space so that you are constantly reminded of what you should be doing to keep your company's Web presence in tact. By following a few simple tactics, you will be able to use your company Web site to its fullest potential.
About the Author
Jen Brister has been a writer, researcher, and Internet marketer for three years. She makes her living writing full time, publishing videos and creating Web sites.