|
New Year's Resolutions for Small
Businesses
Welcome
to the latest edition of the Inside Edge--your monthly report on
Internet trends and advancements that can turn your business into a
more profitable e-Business!
After you read this month's edition, contact your local WSI
Consultant to find out how to put this valuable information to work
for your business right away.
Thanks for reading!
Take Your
Business to the Next Level in 2007 by Making Some Key Resolutions
Now
2006 is now over, and we're just starting into a
new year with new beginnings. After the rush of the holidays, we all
return to work, be it in an office building or our in-home office,
and start planning for the year to come. What are your plans for
your business? Do you plan on taking your business to the next level
of success, surpassing last year's goals? This year, make some
resolutions that will impact your business positively in 2007.
Resolve to Get Online
If you haven't taken your business online yet,
you're missing out on a huge opportunity. The Internet is one of
the best things ever to happen to small businesses, as it gives
businesses regardless of their size a virtual storefront that can
easily compete with big business on a level playing field. No
matter what the focus of your business is, there is a place and a
market for it on the Web. Quite simply, consumers are looking for
you online � either to research your business or even to purchase
your goods or services online � and if you're not there, they'll
find someone else.
There are so many ways to get your business
online with an Internet solution that can help you make money
while you sleep. From multi-functional sites featuring e-commerce,
attractive flash, and other interactive functions, to microsites
that help you get a simple but effective site online quickly, the
options for your business are endless.
What are your online needs? While every business
is unique, the one thing that unites small to medium sized
businesses is their need to have an online presence so they can
compete in today's e-marketplace.
In 2007, resolve to sure your business is online,
right next to your competition � or better yet, be above
them!
If you are already on the Web,
Resolve to Develop Your Online
Presence
If your business has already moved into the
online marketplace, congratulations! You've taken a great first
step. Now, it's time to make sure your online presence is
effective. Many small to medium sized businesses
have very basic websites that act as simple online brochures. They
have their basic information online, but are effectively 'flat'
websites that give visitors little reason to return to the site
after they've seen it once.
For 2007, decide for yourself that an e-brochure
just isn't enough for you, and resolve to move your website
forward. Effective sites today are interactive and tailored to
meet the needs of visitors to the site. In the new year, do some
research and find out what your customers want out of a website �
(e-business functionality? Downloadable white papers? Product
photo galleries? Promotions for site visitors?) and make sure your
website delivers on their needs. A website is only effective if
your customers get what they want from it easily and quickly.
Also, the start of a new year is a great time to
freshen up your Web presence! If you haven't updated your website
in a while, start the year out by adding fresh content. Your
visitors and customers will appreciate it, and so will the search
engines!
Resolve to Reach Your Target Market
Can your target market find you in the major
search engines? If you've never thought about this or defined
keywords to organically optimize your website, it's definitely
time to start. Internet users don't just browse anymore - they
search. And if you aren't easily found, your potential customers
are going to find someone else. Organically optimizing your site
with keywords can help get your site a top spot in search engine
listings, which will considerably up the chances of your target
audience finding your business online.
If you have optimized your site but are still not
easily found, maybe you need to start the new year by researching
new keywords.
Have you used words and phrases that your
customers would actually search for, or have you used
potentially obscure 'catch phrases' taken from your company's
mission statement? Many businesses make this mistake, not
recognizing that how they define their business is not
necessarily how their customers would search for them. If you're
unsure of how to select your keywords or what words and phrases
are right for your business, there is a wide variety of online
tools available to you to start your optimization initiative (http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com,
http://adwords.google.com, and
www.webmaster-toolkit.com, just
to name a few).
Getting your site found through search engines
isn't the only way you can reach your market in 2007. Why not take
your business a step further by initiating an Internet marketing
campaign to really reach out and get your business noticed? Try
email marketing, send monthly e-newsletters, place an online
banner ad, join a reciprocal link program to build traffic to your
site, develop a public relations plan and get your press releases
published online and in local print media. All of these tactics
can help you make 2007 a benchmark year for your business. Push
yourself and your business beyond what you ever thought possible.
There is no better time to redefine
"success" for your business. Say 'farewell' to 2006, and
'hello' to the possibilities that 2007 can hold for you. As you
begin to conceptualize your business path for the year to come,
resolve to make 2007 the year your business profits online � Make
2007 a year to remember!
Get some help making your Online New Year's
Resolutions by contacting your local WSI Consultant
today!
WSI, headquartered in
Toronto, Canada, is ranked the #1 Internet Services Business in the
world. With systems that have been developed, utilized and proven by
over 1500 Consultants in 87 countries worldwide, WSI delivers
thousands of affordable Internet related services and technologies
that enhance the profitability of and deliver maximum return on
investment for businesses annually. |
