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.

Selling products from your site. on the other hand, requires a significant amount of marketing in order to drive large enough numbers of visitors to your site who can be converted to customers.

Don’t Let It Get Overwhelming
I recently attended a workshop given by someone who specializes in social media. Many of the attendees were overwhelmed by the amount of work the speaker suggested they do in order to market effectively online. This response is not unusual.

Experts in various areas of Internet marketing will provide enough information about their field of expertise to make it sound as if you must do most of what they suggest in order to succeed. In reality, there isn’t enough time to do it all.

Trying to do it all will lead to feelings of overwhelm and frustration. So when examining various Internet marketing methods, it is best to choose one or two to focus on until you get good at those methods and then expand into other areas, if you choose.

It’s important to choose Internet marketing methods that are congruent with who you are. If you’re an introvert and clam up when speaking to groups, then you certainly wouldn’t want to start by considering teleclass. For you, e-mail marketing could be a successful alternative, especially if you have good writing skills.

It’s All about Relationships
All Internet marketing methods are about developing relationships. After all, it’s relationships that lead to sales. Very few people buy something with only one exposure to a product or service, so interacting with people over an extended period of time is what helps to build profitable business relationships.

The relationship-building marketing methods we are going to look at series include:

• Email marketing
• Offline marketing
• Social media
• PR – Press Releases, Online Radio, etc.
• Search Engine Optimization
• Joint ventures
• Online forums and places where people gather
• Teleclasses and Webinars
• Article marketing

If you aren’t already subscribed to this blog, be sure to sign up using the form on the right sidebar so you can follow the series on Internet marketing methods.

For those of you who are just getting started with a site, click here to read the articles on Planning a Website.

The advantages of having a page include:

• Search engines like Facebook pages and offer the possibility of gaining search engine position if the page title is crafted effectively and content is kept current.
• Facebook pages provide an avenue for interacting with people who like what you do.
• On your profile, you are only allowed to have 5,000 friends, but you can have an unlimited number of people who are considered fans (people who “Like” your page).
• You can send notifications simultaneously to all of your fans, but not to your friends.
• Information posted to the Wall of your page can be seen in the newsfeeds of people who “Like” your page, giving you more visibility on Facebook.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? I thought so too. But after having one page for more than a year, and another for a few months, I’m not convinced that every small business owner should invest time or money in building a Facebook page. Here’s why:

• People often “Like” something, yet never return to the page. Newsfeed items only become visible to people who actually interact with your page.
• If done strategically, you can easily limit your friends to 5,000 — unless you are a major celebrity. Interacting via your profile rather than a page can be more casual, and more fun, and people are more apt to interact with you via your profile.
• Pages work really well for large companies with a well-established fan base or smaller companies that have large mailing lists that they use to frequently contact customers. These mailings can be used to drive people to a Facebook page with offers of coupons and discounts. For businesses without a mailing list or established following, it takes a lot of effort to drive people to a business page.
• It’s a lot easier to build a list of friends then fans. You can ask people to be your friend and you can suggest that they Like your page by sending an e-mail, but people are more apt to become friends then fans.
• It’s a lot easier to share information from the Net on your profile than a fan page. To share on your profile, you only have to Like an article. To share on a page, you have to copy the URL and go to your page to post (or use a service like Hootsuite).

Bottom line: it takes time and effort to build a fan base and the page will only succeed if you stimulate interactions or offer reasons for people to keep visiting your page.

Here are some questions to ask yourself before you invest in a Facebook page:

1. How do you anticipate generating interest in a Facebook page in order to entice people to Like your page?

2. Are you willing to spend time at least a few times a week posting information to your page and attempting to stimulate interaction with fans?

3. Are you comfortable with the idea of posting information even though, in the beginning, you may only have a limited number of fans or people who interact with your page frequently.

4. Although a page can become a substitute website, some sophisticated programming and copywriting is necessary to entice people to actually contact you. People rarely make a buying decision until they have at least three or more exposures to a company or product before making a buying decision. Are you willing, or able, to write and produce an effective sales presentation for your Facebook page?

5. How do you perceive to gain value from having a page? Can you realistically achieve this given the amount of time and effort you might be willing to invest in a page?

Unless you can truly see yourself maintaining a page, don’t invest a lot of time or money establishing one.

Business owners can spend thousands of dollars on search engine optimization only to have Google change the rules midstream. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal online edition tells the tale of businesses that significantly lost search engine position when Google adjusted its algorithm – the rules by which it evaluates a site to determine its position in the search engine.

“You can’t focus on Google alone,” says Stoney G. deGeyter, an online-marketing consultant in Canton, Ohio. “You got to really diversify your online marketing efforts and that includes social media, direct client communication, email marketing and following up with your current customers.”

As a small business owner or professional practitioner, before you spend a lot of time or money obsessing about search engine results, here are a few things to consider:

• If there are many businesses like yours and you are just getting started online, chances of your showing up on the first page of search engine results is minimal to nonexistent. Although you can do some basic search engine optimization as you are constructing your site and writing copy, your time and money is better spent on other forms of online marketing.
• If you offer a unique service in your local area, including keywords and your location in the page title can help you get good results. For example, Dr. Sherry Gaber is an animal chiropractor in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Although her site is relatively new, if you search for “animal chiropractor Santa Fe,” Sherry’s site comes up in the fourth position, and she is mentioned in two of the first three results. Sherry is the only animal chiropractor in Santa Fe who has a website.
• If you have a Gmail account and/or logged in, your Google results will be different from those seen by someone without the Gmail account. I noticed recently that when I search for one of my blog titles, it comes up somewhere in the first three positions with a picture of me and the words, “You posted this.” When I log out of my Gmail account, the results can be entirely different.
• There are certain industries where it pays to hire a search engine expert, such as restaurants or tourist lodging, although even this can’t guarantee that you will get the results you are seeking. You can be in the first position and a few weeks later find yourself in a lower position.

• 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.
• Artisteer – Easy-to-use software for building WordPress, html, Joomla and Drupal templates. We use this for most of the sites we design.
• NuVu - A free WYSIWYG html editor
• SiteSell – DIY HTML sites. Before you build the site, you have to go through their video tutorials, which are helpful for beginners.

WordPress Resources
Although there are many different platforms to use for building a site, I believe that wordpress, with it’s many add-ons (called plugins) is the best way to go.

• WordPress.org – Documentation for using WordPress is here.
• WordPress Plugins – Do a search for what you need and you are bound to find it. Calendars, maps, SEO, events management, and much more.
• Free WordPress Themes at WordPress.org. Not all free themes are created equal. Some work better than others. Since they are free, you can try them.
• Elegant WordPress Themes – A nice collection of themes with access to all for $39.
• ThemesForest – Large collection of themes from free to $50
• WooThemes
• Templatic Themes
• Artisteer – The theme-building software that we use.  Easy to use once you familiarize yourself with the interface.
• Sample Artisteer sites - This is a forum post with links to Artisteer-created sites.
• Templateer – An add-on for Artisteer that allows you to create additional templates.
• WordPress101 – an easy-to-understand series of videos that will teach you how to use WordPress. I suggest this to all of my clients so they easily update their sites.

E-Commerce Resources

• 1ShoppingCart.com – Combination shopping cart, autoresponders, affiliate program. I’ve been using this for 5 years. They also offer a full e-commerce site-building interface with templates you can choose from
• PayPal – for payments from your site
• 8 Days a Week – a small, New Mexico company that offers terrific credit card processing rates. Available in all states. I use them.
• Authorizenet – a payment gateway. You need a gateway with many shopping carts.
• osCommerce – an open source cart system. A plugin for WordPress is available. Not recommended for DIY beginners.
• Simple PayPal Shopping Cart Plugin for WordPress

E-Mail Marketing Resources
For managing your mailing list

• Autoresponse Plus – mailing list management software that is installed on your hosting account. You have great control over all aspects. No monthly fees. We use this for some of our mailings and like it a lot.
• 1ShoppingCart.com – Can use their autoresponder system without a shopping cart. Handling of bounces not terrific.
• aWeber - a popular service that offers easy-to-use templates, a WordPress plugin, email templates and more. Strict about double optin
• Constant Contact – another popular service
• iContact.com- one of the few services that allows you to upload an email list without having to double opt-in
• MailChimp – free for the first 2,000 names
• Feedburner – If you have a blog, feedburner.com can handle your blog subscriptions. People can subscribe via RSS or email.
  

*Some links on this page are affiliate links

Follow this link for helpful information about setting up and using FB and Twitter. There’s also a growing list of additional resources. I’ll be adding LinkedIn information in the near future.

Enjoy!

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.

——————————-

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.

The goal is to present information in a way that helps to fulfill your site’s purpose.  Ultimately, you probably want people to either make a purchase or contact you.

First, some important facts:

• You have approximately three seconds to get your visitor’s attention. Think about how quickly you decide whether or not a site has the information you’re looking for. Site visits that last more than a few seconds average between two and three minutes per visit. Some will be longer, most will not.
• Eye-tracking studies indicate that visitors to you site will first look at the header, then the navigation bar, a bold headline, and the sidebar. Given that you have three seconds to grab their full attention, make the most of the most-viewed items.
• What appears “above the fold” matters. Just like on the front page of a newspaper where the area above the fold is what gets attention, the content on the first screen that people see – without scrolling – is important.
• Visitors are accustomed to finding certain basic elements in the navigation bar, which is best placed between the header and the content. They like to see a link to About Us, Contact, and Home. The word Testimonials garners attention as will Services, Portfolio, Products, and/or Blog. Too many links in the navigation bar can be confusing.
• Although visitors often look at the left side of the page, you are better off with content than navigation links on that side of the page.

Keeping all this in mind, you’ll want to decide on the main site sections and the navigation within those sections.

I always start by creating an imaginary navigation bar. Here’s an example:
Home  |  Services  |  Portfolio  |  About  |  Contact

Under “Services” you might have a drop-down list of the various services, and under “Portfolio” you could also have multiple choices. Each choice on a drop-down list can lead to a different page.

If you have any questions about setting up your site navigation, use the comment box below.

So to start, make a list of the main sections of your website and sublists of the pages within those sections. Always keep in mind that you want to accomplish your goal with as few clicks as possible, so don’t confuse visitors with too many pages

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.

A better choice would be AwfulToysOnline.com, GreatAwfulToys.com, or AwfulToysNewJersey.com (or whatever location is appropriate).

If you run a nonprofit, a .org is appropriate. However, if available, it’s also a good idea to purchase the .com

2. Avoid hyphens.
Using the example above, you might be tempted to buy Awful-Toys.com. Here again, people are likely to forget to include the hyphen and visit your competitors site. Also, it’s a bit clumsy to have to say out loud, “www dot awful hypen toys.com” when sharing your domain with others.

3. Keep the domain name as short as possible.
Short names are easier to remember and for people to type — or tap on their tablet device.

4. If you’re going to use an odd spelling, get a second domain with the typical spelling.
For example, Flickr.com is a popular photo sharing website. They were smart enough to get the domain name Flicker.com because a lot of people will remember it that way. (You can have more than one domain name pointing to the same site.)

5. Use a registrar service such as GoDaddy.com to find a name.
You can enter your desired domain name and if it’s not available you will be given suggestions that might work for you. When I was publicizing a teleclass called Live Fear Free In the New Economy, LiveFearFree.com was taken, but LiveFearFreeNow.com was suggested. That’s the one I purchased.

6. If it’s available, register your personal name.
If you have a common name, the domain is probably not available.

Remember that domain names have to be renewed every year. You can purchase them for multiple years or set your domain registration account to automatically renew so you don’t inadvertently lose the domain name.

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.2. Are you planning on doing the site yourself or having a developer build it for you?
The answer to this question will depend upon your willingness to learn new software and the amount of time that you have to dedicate to the project. In an upcoming post, I’ll talk about how to choose the right developer.

If you’re doing it yourself, you might want to try one of the do-it-yourself template interfaces that are offered for as little as five dollars a month. I have tried to use these templates sites and find them frustrating and, at times, difficult to generate satisfying results. If your budget is extremely limited, this may be the best choice for you.

There are many attractive WordPress templates (called themes) that can be installed by a developer and tweaked to suit your needs without your having to spend a lot of money. Once the template is installed, learning how to update text or add information is relatively easy. Here again, the time you have available will influence your decisions.

3. What is your website budget?
You can find a simple site set up by a developer for as little as $250. You can also spend thousands of dollars on a totally custom design and set up. And there are lots of variations in between.

You might want to invest in a consultation with someone familiar with both website development and Internet marketing to help you make your decision. Keep in mind that not only will you have to invest time or money in a website, but you will also have to invest either time or money marketing the site.

Next time we’ll talk about domain names and other details you need to know about before contacting a developer.

FYI: I am available for consultations. For more information, fill out the Contact Us form and I’ll get back to you within one business day.

• 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

The purpose of your site will determine whether you need a simple brochure site, e-commerce capabilities, a blog, or other features that will help you fulfill your purpose.

2. How much time per day or week are you willing to spend marketing your site?
Build it and they will come does not apply to websites. It’s important that you somehow let people know about your site, either through networking, social media, or other Internet marketing methods, which I’ll discuss at a later date.

The amount of time you’re willing to put into marketing – or how much you’re willing to pay to have someone else do it, – will also determine how big and complex your site should be. If, for example, you don’t want to spend much time or money, then you probably will need a simple brochure-type site.

Having at least this type of site is important because most people check to see if a person or business as a site before deciding to do business with them. If you aren’t planning on doing much marketing, then stick with a simple site that has basic information about your business, you, and the products or services you offer.

3. Do you need help writing the copy for your site?
Most web developers do not offer copywriting services, and unless you know how to write direct response copy, there’s a good chance that the copy on your site will be ineffective.

When I get to a site that starts out with, “Welcome to my site,” I know the person doesn’t know about copywriting. You have 3 seconds, or less, to get people’s attention and only strong benefits-oriented headlines coupled with easy navigation will suffice.

4,  What do you have to offer that has value in the marketplace?
You may have the greatest idea for a product or service but if that product or service doesn’t solve a problem or fill a need for a significant group of people, then all you have is a great idea coupled with a lousy business.

If you’re thinking about starting an online business, make sure that there is a need for what you’re offering. A good starting tool to use is Google’s AdWords Keyword Tool that shows you how many people use a particular search term. (You need a free Google account use this tool. In the AdWords interface, click on Reporting and Tools/Keyword Tool.)