TIPS ON MAKING YOUR WEB SITE WORK FOR YOU

Now that you've got your web site, it's up to you to help make it work. Posting your site and submitting it to the search engines does not automatically and magically result in business. You have to make sure that people know where it is and why they should visit. With a little effort, your web site can become a valuable asset.

STEP 1: ANNOUNCE YOUR WEBSITE

There are several rather obvious ways that anyone can do this:

+ Through E-Mail
E-mail everybody in your address book, and if possible and appropriate, ensure that everyone in your company does the same thing. But be careful! This kind of e-mail can easily be considered spam. Bear in mind to keep it short and simple. Send your message as plain text rather than html mail.

+ By the Telephone
Of course, your friends will be delighted to hear from you and excited by your new site, so calling them to tell them won't be a big deal. However, for everyone else, there are two rules to promote your site by phone without causing annoyance: Call to inform your customers of a genuine benefit to them regarding your new web site. Tell them about it when you next speak to them in the course of business. Don't call them solely to tell them about your site.

+ By Word of Mouth
When you tell someone about your new site, your recommendation will have a greater impact if you can hand them a business card that shows the URL (or at least write it down for them). Your efforts here will again have far greater results if the people that you talk to perceive some benefit in visiting you site, such as special offers and relevant information on products and services.

+ By Snail Mail
The rules here are pretty much the same as for e-mail. The best way is to either write a short announcement that details a specific benefit to be found on your site, or include a small note/paragraph in your regular correspondence to clients. Postcards are a good idea. You can't fail to miss the URL, as the message isn't hidden inside an envelope, and there's only room for small message -- keeping everybody happy!

STEP 2: PROMOTE YOUR NEW WEBSITE

Okay, now you've told everyone about your new site. What can you do in order to reinforce your message and further promote your online presence?

+ E-Mail
You've already mailed everyone in your company's collective address book -- what more can you do? Loads of stuff. E-mail provides an ideal way to both promote your site and add value to your customer service. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1) Staff E-Mail Accounts Ensure that everyone has an @yourcompany.com e-mail address and, more importantly, make sure they use it. Make these e-mail addresses available on your site, and encourage your customers to make business inquiries this way. And remember the golden rule of e-mail: you must ensure that the e-mail addresses are checked regularly -- at least once a day for most small businesses. Not having their e-mail answered will make your customers feel unloved, and will inevitably result in lost business.

2) Create a Standard Company Signature Make sure that every e-mail sent from your company address has a proper signature, such as the Name, Position, Telephone and Fax numbers of the sender, and of course the company URL.

3) Create Generic E-Mail Addresses Most companies will have need for addresses such as info, sales, help, or support@yourcompany.com Again, make them easily accessible via your site, and ensure that they're checked regularly and responded to appropriately.

+ Promote Your Site in Print Here are some ideas that should help most small businesses.

1) Stationery, etc. Include your URL as well as relevant e-mail addresses in: Letterheads Business cards Receipts Warranties Packaging Promotional items such as pens, t-shirts, mugs and bumper stickers

2) Advertising If your company advertises in print media, then it's essential that you get that URL incorporated into your artwork. Your site can act as the perfect extension to your existing advertising efforts. If someone is interested in your ad, chances are that a professional web site with plenty of good quality content will tip the balance over your competition, who list only their physical address.

3) The Storefront If you have one, you can let passersby know that you can now be found online, as well. Your local print shop can probably run off some posters for you. And, if possible, get a sign writer to add your URL to the shop sign.

4) Run a Website-Only Promotion Create weekly/monthly promotions that may be found only on your site. This gives you a great reason to tell people about your site URL. And, of course, if they visit with the intention of checking out the offer, they'll also be exposed to all your other sales initiatives.