Promotion

Anonymity Is a Business Killer

by Phil Hanson

Without promotion, your Web site remains anonymous, and anonymity is a business killer. It won't matter how pretty your Web site or how great your product or service, if people can't find it—if they don't know it exists—you'll never make a sale.

To succeed in business on the Internet you must, simultaneously, promote on two levels. Each level is important, and each depends on the other for its own success.

First, in importance, is to promote your Web site, because that's the way you attract potential customers to your product or service. Then, when you've attracted them to your site, promote your product or service to them. However, there's a matter of priorities involved and you mustn't ignore them.

Your product or service promotion is your Web site; that's the reason your Web site exists. Therefore, it's important to have construction on your Web site completed, and all of your promotional material in place, before you start promoting it.

Before you publish your Web site, be sure your Web pages are search engine optimized. Install description and keyword meta tags. Choose a good title, write a good description and write body text to get maximum keyword density and to increase page relevancy. When you've finished optimizing, publish your site to the Web. Then, check all your links to be sure they're working. Finally, submit your site to as many search engines as you can.

Don't auto-submit your Web pages to the search engines. Visit each search engine Web site, read the rules for submission, then manually submit. Yes, it takes time, but it's the only way you can be sure it's done right. Each search engine has its own submission rules, and you must be very careful not to run afoul of them. Search engine submissions are the first thrust of your Web site promotion program and you can't afford any mistakes.

Press releases are a good way to promote your Web site and your Web-based business. Write some stimulating press releases and submit them to the appropriate media.

Networking with other Web masters is a good way to promote your site. Link to other quality sites; ask them to link to yours. When you promote other sites, often they promote yours.

You'll be running several affiliate programs on your Web site, so why not offer an affiliate program of your own? It's a great way to get new traffic to your site, and you only have to pay out when you make a sale. If you can afford to give up a small percentage of your profits on sales originating from referrals, this is a good way to go.

Radio advertising can be an effective means of promoting your business, as can TV infomercials, if your budget can stand the expense.

Newspaper and magazine ads help generate new business, although they tend to be quite expensive. Many phone books now have a section for Web site URL listings, so you might want to list yours there.

Put your URL on business cards and flyers and distribute them around the neighborhood. You can, in fact, promote your business Web site in every legal way you can imagine, as long as you don't spam. If you spam, you can jeopardize your entire operation. It's certainly not worth the risk. Another tactic you might avoid is pop-up advertising. People are starting to hate that almost as much as they hate spam e-mail.

Blow your own horn. Be persistent. Promote aggressively, vigorously, relentlessly, honestly and ethically. Innovate. Try new things. Look for new opportunities. Eventually, you'll get more traffic to your site. When you do, you'll also get more sales.