Before You Dive Into
Online Marketing, Get Your
Feet Wet
By: Sharon Fling
My children took swimming
lessons this summer.
Actually
they're called "water
confidence" lessons,
designed to get
non-swimmers comfortable
with being in the water.
At 5 years old, my kids have
a healthy fear of the water,
and
didn't want to get in the
pool at first. They liked
the
*idea* of learning how to
swim, but the reality of
getting
into water up to their necks
was scary. They wanted to
have
their lessons in the wading
pool. I tried explaining
it's a
little hard to swim in 12
inches of water, but try
reasoning
with three 5-year-olds. It
was a slow torturous process
getting their entire bodies
into the water. By the time
they
got all the way into the
water the first lesson was
almost
over.
What does this have to do
with local online marketing?
As I
listened to the instructor
try to coax them into the
water,
it reminded me of
conversations I'd had with
small business
owners about getting onto
the web.
"C'mon, just stick your feet
in."
"See? That's not so bad, is
it?"
"Now, let's do little bunny
hops down the steps. Hop!
Hop!
Hop!"
Little by little, they got
used to being in the water.
Then,
getting their faces wet.
After a few lessons, they
were
jumping off the side and
having a great time. I had
to
practically drag them out of
the water.
Getting online is often like
that. It can seem
overwhelming
-- choices to make, lingo to
learn, all for something
that
may or may not bring
customers through the door.
After
awhile, what sounded like a
good idea begins to feel
like too
much work. And with too many
things to do as it is, it's
easy for most business
owners to put online
marketing on the
back burner... indefinitely.
But just like learning to
swim, getting a
brick-and-mortar or
any other type of business
online is best done one baby
step
at a time. There's no reason
to rush out and get a
website.
There are already way too
many deserted websites,
sitting
like abandoned cars on the
super information
highway...gathering dust.
The last thing the world
needs is
another boring website whose
only purpose is to sell
something.
Here's what every business
owner must realize: most
people
do not go online looking for
something to buy. What web
surfers crave the most is
INFORMATION. If you offer
free
useful information, you will
draw a crowd. But if all you
can offer is an order link
and a payment form, don't
expect a
lot of visitors.
Think about how you can use
the technology to get to
know
your customers and
prospects. Because just as
in real life,
it's all about relationships
online. Putting up a website
is
only 10% -- the other 90% is
marketing, building trust,
and
cultivating relationships.
Once you have that straight
in your mind, get your feet
wet
by looking at what your
competition is doing. Find
out where
your prospects might look
for the information they
need. Then
figure out what free
information or services your
target
market would find useful.
Decide how you can give it
to them
at little or no cost to
yourself. Then take the
plunge and do
something. Start small, then
add on.
Remember the formula:
Attract people to your
website. Give
them free stuff. Build
credibility and trust
through repeated
contact. Then sell them
something. This has worked
for online
businesses for years, and it
will work just as well for
brick-and-mortar business.
About the Author
Sharon Fling is the
author of "How To Promote
Your Local
Business On the Internet",
and publishes an electronic
newsletter that gives
business owners tips, tools
and
resources for targeting
local customers. For more
information, visit http://www.geolocal.com
or send a blank
email to: subscribe@localbizpromo.com?subject=TRAART
