Internet Marketing Methods — A New Series
The Internet is crowded with people like you who are hoping to develop an expanding customer base via their websites. Your success in doing this will depend upon the Internet marketing methods you choose and the amount of effort you are willing to put into your marketing efforts.
My goal in this next series of articles is to help you choose one or more marketing methods that will work for you, given the amount of time and money you wish to spend while taking into account your level of expertise.
When planning your website, it’s important to take into consideration your marketing strategy. For example, if you don’t want to spend a lot of time marketing your site, then you may opt for a simple brochure site from which people can gather information about you and your business. This is a workable solution if your customers are local and you wish to reach them via local networking or advertising.
33 Helpful Resources for Building a Website
This list of resources is meant for beginners who are anxious to get started with their website building project. Links will all open in a new window or tab. Be sure to bookmark this page and check back for updates. * (DIY means Do-It-Yourself)
- GoDaddy.com
– Register your domain name here. They also have hosting, DIY websites, and easy WordPress intallation - Hostgator.com – $4.95/month hosting. Easy installation of blogs, mailing lists, and many other features.
- WordPress.com – Build a free site here. Used by a lot of bloggers. Limited capabilities for add-ons.
- WordPress Themes – Free themes WordPress.org. Great place to get ideas
- Template Monster – Themes for many different platforms. A few free. Others start at about $49. Continue reading
Which Do You Have — Time or Money?
After you have an idea as to what you’re trying to accomplish with your website and how you wish to arrange the content, a decision has to be made as to how the site will be built. The big question is whether you can do it yourself or have someone build it for you.
Here are some things to consider:
1. How much time or money do you want to invest in your website development project and the followup marketing needed to attract visitors to your site?
Any solution requires time. If you want someone else to professionally handle the tasks for you, that costs money.
2. How motivated are you to learn new software?
Even if you’re using one of the do-it-yourself (DIY) platforms for building a site, there is a learning curve. I have tried to build sites using a number of template-driven interfaces, such as those offered by GoDaddy, SiteSell, WordPress.com and many hosting companies, only to be frustrated by the outcomes. These solutions are inexpensive, but can be time-consuming especially if you are in any way overwhelmed by technology.
3. Would you rather spend your time learning how to build an effective site or devoting your time to the parts of your business you enjoy?
Most of my clients are small business owners or professional practitioners with minimal computer and/or Internet skills. They are usually comfortable with e-mail and spend some time on the net shopping, doing research, and dabbling in social media, mostly Facebook. Their choice is to have someone build the site for them and learn to update site content themselves.
In the next post, I’m going to discuss what to consider when hiring someone to develop the site for you, then we’ll talk about costs.
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UPCOMING WORKSHOP IN SANTA FE, NM
Website Basics for the Technologically Challenged
April 26, 2011 – 11:45 am to 1:15 pm at the Chamber of Commerce
For details, visit www.ProsperSantaFe.com.
6 Tips for Choosing the Right Domain Name – Planning a Website Part 3
Choosing the right domain name is an important part of planning your website, and it sometimes takes a bit of fancy dancing to find the right name because so many domains have already been purchased.
Here are some suggestions:
1. For a business, always choose a dot com.
Supposing you have a business named Awful Toys and you want the name AwfulToys.com, but that name is not available. You may be tempted to buy AwfulToys.info or AwfulToys.us (or any of the other extensions that are available). This is not a good idea.
People’s ears are tuned to hear websites referred to as.com and they are less likely to remember a .info or.us address. If you tell them to go to AwfulToys.info even if they have been there once, they are more likely to remember it as AwfulToys.com, thus going to your competitor’s site. Continue reading
Planning Your Website – Part 2
Here are some additional questions to ask yourself when you are preparing to build a site, no matter what your level of expertise might be.
1. What is your competition doing?
While planning your website, it’s a good idea to spend a few hours online looking at sites offering products or services similar to yours. When visiting these sites, imagine that you are a potential customer and evaluate how well the presentation entices you to make a purchase or make contact.
Notice what you like and what you don’t like and make note of the things that you want to include on your site. Also make note of design ideas that appeal to you, such as colors, layout, etc. Be sure to bookmark sites you really like.
Also notice if they are offering anything to entice you to give them your e-mail address, such as a free e-book, audio, or special report. Continue reading
Planning a Website for Online Success – Part 1
This information will help you if you want to:
- Use the Net to advertise an offline place of business or service
- Sell products or services online
- Improve the effectiveness of your current website
This is the first in a series of posts. Be sure to subscribe to this blog (right sidebar) so you don’t miss any.
Here are some important questions to ask yourself:
1. What is the purpose of my site? (More than one can apply.)
- Present your company or professional services to potential clients
- Sell products or services
- Develop relationships with potential customers
- Entice people to visit my off-line place of business
- Encourage people to call me or use the site’s contact form
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