Marketing and branding your business is all about maximizing relationships. To build relationships requires some efforts designed to generate awareness that your business even exists. And you generate awareness by making a connection with your client, closing a sale, or providing exemplary service to a customer.
Lesson learned. Let’s pack it up and head home. NOT!
If it were only that simple. In reality, the rules of the marketing game are constantly changing. The trip is to find a niche, and stay ahead of the game. While in theory it may seem a bit impossible, with the ever-changing internet, well, ever-changing. But if you look at your web based marketing efforts as a skirmish, it can seem less like work, and more like fun.
The first step is to put your “assets” on display. No, not those embarrassing bachelor party photos or the pictures of your drunken water skiing trip to the lake. I mean your business assets. If you take a good look at your organization, you may find a number of assets that you haven’t discovered as of yet. Ever heard the saying about “hiding your light under a bushel?” Well, now is NOT the time to do that! Examine aspects of your business that you feel sets you apart from the competition. Is it your follow-through with your clients? Do you have a channel of strategic partnerships that your competition can only hope for? Is your sales approach irresistible to your marketplace? We all have a unique business talent, and there is no shame in promoting it.
But let’s take a quick step backwards for a minute. You do have a web presence don’t you? Well, of course you have access to the web (otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this entry), but does your business have a presence? Sure, you may have a home-made web site that you put together over a weekend, which might serve you well. But if no one knows you are out there on the World Wide Web, why bother?
The key to a great web site is search-ability, and quality content. You site is only as good as the content, and how search engines direct web searches to you is paramount. Now I’m not going to give you a long lecture from “Web Sites: 101,” but I will give you a few basics. First, learn the term “meta tags.” It will serve you well when creating your web site or enhancing your existing one.
In essence, meta tags are the trigger that search engines pick up on to direct traffic to your web site. You may have heard the terms “enhanced text” or “text optimization,” which are basically the same. If you want folks to find your site, it’s a good idea to have your text optimized. If you aren’t a savvy web master yourself, there are a number of guys and gals that can work magic. Whether your site has been on the net for a while, or you are just heading that direction, I would recommend at least consulting with a web master, just to make sure you are on the right path.
Okay, so where were we? Ah yes, displaying your assets. The content of your site should be dynamic, entertaining, informative, thought provoking, be a call to action… You get the idea. Ultimately the idea is to make your site copy as compelling to your market that you can. The goal is to make your site, in conjunction with your business, an expert resource for your customer base. If you can promote your site as a value to your market, you’re in.
In future entries, we’ll talk about other ways to enhance your web marketing aspirations. And remember, don’t be shy! You, and your business are great, and have a lot to offer to your market. Don’t be afraid to let them know it!
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