The internet has changed the way people shop for everything. Even if your business has enjoyed word of mouth referrals, that is not enough anymore. Before hiring someone or making a purchase, customers search online first, even if someone has recommended your business. If the customer doesn’t find you or the information on your website doesn’t satisfy your visitor they will hire someone else.
85% of all customers search online before making a purchase. If you are not found, you don’t get the business.
10 Steps To Creating a Winning Online Strategy
- Keywords – The foundation of all marketing today are keywords and keyword phrases. Every niche business has well over 1,000 phrases people search for relevant to your business.
- Website Content– content on your site should be educational. Consumers are searching for information. Keywords tell us what your customer wants. Give your customer what they want, not what your think they want.
- Bullet Points – you customer will only last on your site for a fleeting moment if they don’t find what they want. Use bullet points about what you do and what is in your site. This will prompt the client to read more.
- Short Paragraphs – Follow bullet points with short paragraphs that describe your bullet points. Get to the point fast. You want your customer to become educated about your product or service quickly.
- Web Pages – Now you want to create educational web site pages expanding on your bullet points and descriptive paragraphs. Educate and provide information that your customer understands. You are the expert but your client isn’t. What is obvious to you may not be to them.
- Personalize Content – your website and blog are communication tools. Write your site content so customer feels like it was written for them. Clients care about themselves. They don’t care about you or how great you are.
- Do Not Sell – Your site is all about selling, but don’t make it look that way. Credibility and trust are created by providing honest, quality, educational information.
- Do Not Over Deliver – You can easily create a site that makes you look bigger and better than you are. Your site and service or product must be aligned. Don’t create false expectations.
- Get The Business You Want – Internet and social media tools will enable you to cultivate a niche and brand yourself like never before. Brand yourself in your local market and your word of mouth marketing becomes more powerful than ever before. The result is quality business from educated customers.
- Become Educated – Learn. I hear a lot of complaining about the lack of business in the recession. The fact is that customers are searching online. There is business in your market that you don’t know even exists. Don’t think you are not a computer person. Everyone can learn and excel with the right online plan. That’s where all the business is.
Edward Winslow
Founder & Owner at NicheQuest Media
Small business marketing veteran and founder of Nichequest. Ed's goal is to help small businesses position themselves to reach customers searching for solutions and services. He is a SEO Consultant, Reputation and Display Ad specialist to companies and agencies throughout the United States.
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