Small Business Website Marketing 10 Point Action Plan

ACTION TO BE TAKEN

NOTES & ACTION TAKEN

1/Decide on the part of your business that you think will be most beneficial and effective online.

To Go for the whole of your business will probably be too much too soon; unless you offer a specific service, which is at the core of your operation). Think about 2-3 things if you can, with the thought that you can use one of them.

2/Research the online market.

This will find where each of your choices comes in demand (search queries). The quick and easy way is to simply do a search on Google or Yahoo.

Look at the volumes and decide on an order of priority for the items you’ve chosen. It's always best to do a “quotes” search as this will give you the most accurate numbers searching for your product. Otherwise you get mixed results. Use “Venetian blind service”. Rather than Venetian blind service for example.

To be really accurate and local try “Venetian blind service, Essex” or “Venetian blinds England”, play around with it until you see a good demand (number of searches) that you can cope with.

Choose the words that you most want to apply to your business.

2/Research the online market.

3/Decide on your area of coverage.

This will have been determined above. i.e. Local, regional, national or international, your choice but it's always beter to start small and build up, when systems and confidence is in place.

4/Ensure you can handle the volume expected.

Have you got stock of the lines you want to promote or the capability of providing the services if that's what you do. You cannot afford to disappoint.

The assumption is made that you are aware of the market size of your offer.

5/Having decided on your product and method, take a look at your competition to see what they are doing and what you can do that's different.

This is your USP or “Unique Selling Proposition”.

This is vital to understand this for your success. Take the blinds service example, your competitors are probably offering on price alone and maybe variety. You could offer a free survey and or, free window cleaning of the windows you will fit. You can reassure people of a clean trouble free installation within a specified time span etc etc. You get the idea? These “extras” may not cost you a lot but they are a valuable investment you are making in getting the order instead of your competitor.

Price alone is not the way forward as you will enter a spiralling downwards price war that no one will win. Offer good value for money and you won't go wrong

6/Do some more research!

Take a look at eBay and Amazon and also search the product in Google MSN, Yahoo or what ever.. eBay always gives a good indication if a line is wrth doing, look for the power sellers that sell lots of product.

7/Decide on the impression you want to give, using the information you will have gleaned above.

Do you want to appear small friendly and knowledgeable about your market? How about experience and support given. You know your market by now and maybe even more from the research you've done.

People want reassurance so give it to them in spades and you will succeed. Tell them of your experience, of your quality and service plus back up, make it good but don't exaggerate be honest and it will come across>

8/Work out who will put the website together, by using a good website software program all the technical issues can be covered.

So for a nominal sum, which will be tax deductible anyway, you have nothing to lose, just some time and gain new knowledge and skills.

From experience, a week will see a nice website up and running.

The notes that you have made will form the brief, for either yourself or someone else to construct your website.

Use a template design and use nice clear type for your company name, there is no need for logos but if you have one then just scan it and add it to the site.

If you take a look at the best website builder used from experience all the above is there for you to play about with, if you don't like it change it until it feels right to you.

BUT.. don't agonize too long just get it on line, you can always change it as you go along.

9/Build the site using the keywords for your product as above.

The best website builder software will enable you to check the keywords are included correctly in your site.

10/Upload your site and check it all works.

Then make sure you always always, include your web address in everything you do including offline adverts and letters to suppliers and customer etc.

Ask your colleagues and customer what they think about it and use the information for the futer to develop your online world.