One of the most frustrating parts of creating a web presence for new business owners is dealing with the unrealistic expectations that many people have for their web site. It’s hard enough to build a new business without getting slapped around by unrealistic expectations.
While some people say they are seeking a web presence, what they’re really wanting is marketing magic – and what they need is Strategic Internet Marketing Some business owners tend to think of a website as a “set it and forget it” marketing tool.
When you create a “set it and forget it” web site, you’ve created a virtual brochure and nothing more. If you need your web presence to do more, then read the Best Kept Internet Marketing Strategies.
Don’t get me wrong, a web presence can act as a powerful marketing tool, especially if you’re selling an intangible service. But even if your website delivers up a great case of viral marketing, it is still just a marketing tool.
Just as a rake is a GREAT tool for moving leaves, those leaves don’t move if you don’t put the rake to good use.
One thing that I’ve learned first hand by launching my book’s blog is that the search engines LOVE WordPress self hosted blogs. As a matter of fact, it’s my book’s blog that is one of the reasons I converted this, my main web site, to a blog in May of 2007.
The other reason I decided to convert my static website to a blog is that a web developer in New Zealand stole all of my static website’s content and repackaged it as their own. From page content to articles, every bit of content I wrote appeared on this web developers website under their own copyright, claimed 2 years after my own. I contacted a lawyer and decided it was cheaper and easier to launch a WordPress blog.
Now, thanks to my WordPress self hosted blog, my content is SCRAPED by HUNDREDS of splogs instead of just a single website!
However, converting my website to a blog was the best marketing move I’ve made for my business. See, if you’re thinking of hiring a new media consultant to help you with your internet marketing strategy and you’re thinking of hiring me, you need a LOT of information about me before you’ll schedule an appointment with me. You need to get to know me – get to TRUST that I know what I’m talking about.
See, terms like “branding” and “TQM” are just ways marketing executives have come up with to try to QUANTIFY this whole “trust” issue in business.
In the end, your marketing’s job is to establish TRUST with prospective clients and customers. However, trust is hard to develop and easy to lose. You know the old marketing saying, “You need 8 touches with a customer before the customer will act,” that’s because it takes TIME to build trust with prospective clients.
We live in a No Trust Zone. In a world where trust is harder than ever to earn, when it gets harder and harder to spot crooks and liars, blogs are a great way to build trust.
However, don’t ever forget that for most businesses, your customers aren’t spending all of their time on the web. It’s shocking, I know but there are some people are still reading newspapers and magazines – you know, the PRINT kind! There are others who are watching television and listening to the radio. There are yet others who are going to movies and yes, even the mall. Regular people may use the web differently than you do!
It’s possible you want to reach those people BEFORE they get to the web to search for answers.
If you want to reach THOSE people – you might want to think about using some other form of marketing and promotion. If you want to learn more about OTHER ways to reach out to your target market, pick up a copy of my book Beyond the Niche: Essential Tools You Need to Create Marketing Messages that Deliver Results or contact Kathy at Virtual Impax to schedule a consultation.