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Casual Articles - How The Local Business Owner Can Finally Profit from a Web Site
All entrepreneurs learned a lot along the way and sometimes they are running so fast they do not have time to explain to everyone how they did it. But once they retire perhaps they should become business writers and help other people and up-and-coming entrepreneurs learn from some of their hard knocks.Currently, I am retired but still over see much of my companies operations. I turned forty and decided I had had enough of the over regulation, litigation in the franchising industry and beating my head against the wall with non-perfo
• It's now possible to target consumers by city, even down to zip code - the areas local business people KNOW they get a majority of their business from.
• They need to learn why many web sites don't have a chance to sell anything, and how they can change this problem quickly.
• They need to learn who is most likely to buy from local web sites, (and why this usually surprises the local business owner.)
• They need to learn the proven formulas for building local customer relationships that lead to sales.
• They need to un
The process of becoming a professional humorous motivational speaker really never occurred to me. I was going along with my life paying attention to the normal stuff, family, work, and friends. And then it was suggested that I attend the Players Workshop of The Second City, one of the oldest and most prestigious improvisational comedy schools in the world, located right in my own backyard, Chicago. This is where I decided to embark on a professional humorous motivational speaking career.Being a humorous motivational speaker and tryi
Way back in the 1990's, (you remember) during the spectacular growth and hype of the Internet, one group in particular learned to doubt they needed the Internet as a new marketing tool... the local business owner.
While many simply ignored it as a game for larger businesses, there were those who bravely set out to explore the possibilities. Unfortunately, many of these web-marketing pioneers ended up wishing they had ignored it too.
What happened? Why do many who tried web-based marketing for their local businesses feel burned, or at best, skeptical? For starters, somebody forgot to tell them it required marketing. The "build it and they will come" theory prevailed. Instead of being a marketing driven, these early attempts were frequently, and solely, put into the hands of web designers.
Don't get me wrong. The designers did their job. Many sites were built. Basic functions performed smoothly. Even the site email worked… and a few local business owners could be heard bragging - "I got a web site."
Then… nothing. Neither current nor potential customers were visiting, let alone taking any kind of buying action at these web sites. The business owner, likely applying the same thinking they used about the Yellow Pages (put it out there, and they'll find me), grew frustrated, then angry.
Problem was, consumers had long ago become accustomed to using the phone book as a source of information about local businesses. Using a web site was a different story.
"Web site? " they might ask, "How do I find it?" Such comments often conveyed the gap between having a site that could fulfill its promise and having a site that did nothing but add an expense. While much of this happened just a few years ago, a lot has already changed.
Now, many consumers have grown comfortable using the Internet as a source for local information, and these numbers will grow. Unfortunately, the residual 'bad taste' lingers among many who operate in the local business arena today.
The irony is, more than ever, this market could benefit greatly from what the Internet can deliver… more customers, less expensively. So how can those of us who carry the daily 'torch' of how-and-why-web-based-marketing-works - help?
Local business owners need to be re-wired on what the Internet can do for them. They need to consider new statistics, new insights and new capabilities. For instance:
• 68 million adults in the U.S. went online looking for local business information in the last year. (How many found a competitor?)
• It's now possible to target consumers by city, even down to zip code - the areas local business people KNOW they get a majority of their business from.
• They need to learn why many web sites don't have a chance to sell anything, and how they can change this problem quickly.
• They need to learn who is most likely to buy from local web sites, (and why this usually surprises the local business owner.)
• They need to learn the proven formulas for building local customer relationships that lead to sales.
• They need to und
5 Things Your Customers Want When Configuring Products Online Did you know that at Starbucks, you can choose from over half a million drink combinations? That’s right, just over 550,000 ways to make a latte.This kind of customization, and the branding around it, has become the alma mater of such big corporate players; And if you’re a manufacturer of configure to order products, you can probably relate. You probably have an easily comparable variety in your product line.Whats more is that as a manufacturer, you’re dealing with
Don't get me wrong. The designers did their job. Many sites were built. Basic functions performed smoothly. Even the site email worked… and a few local business owners could be heard bragging - "I got a web site."
Then… nothing. Neither current nor potential customers were visiting, let alone taking any kind of buying action at these web sites. The business owner, likely applying the same thinking they used about the Yellow Pages (put it out there, and they'll find me), grew frustrated, then angry.
Problem was, consumers had long ago become accustomed to using the phone book as a source of information about local businesses. Using a web site was a different story.
"Web site? " they might ask, "How do I find it?" Such comments often conveyed the gap between having a site that could fulfill its promise and having a site that did nothing but add an expense. While much of this happened just a few years ago, a lot has already changed.
Now, many consumers have grown comfortable using the Internet as a source for local information, and these numbers will grow. Unfortunately, the residual 'bad taste' lingers among many who operate in the local business arena today.
The irony is, more than ever, this market could benefit greatly from what the Internet can deliver… more customers, less expensively. So how can those of us who carry the daily 'torch' of how-and-why-web-based-marketing-works - help?
Local business owners need to be re-wired on what the Internet can do for them. They need to consider new statistics, new insights and new capabilities. For instance:
• 68 million adults in the U.S. went online looking for local business information in the last year. (How many found a competitor?)
• It's now possible to target consumers by city, even down to zip code - the areas local business people KNOW they get a majority of their business from.
• They need to learn why many web sites don't have a chance to sell anything, and how they can change this problem quickly.
• They need to learn who is most likely to buy from local web sites, (and why this usually surprises the local business owner.)
• They need to learn the proven formulas for building local customer relationships that lead to sales.
• They need to un
Internet Marketing is an amazing career for any Entrepreneur. Anyone with a computer and an internet connection can literally be making money within hours with virtually no start up capital.The trick is knowing where to advertise for little or no money. Over the last 8 years I have mastered the art of seeking out little known nooks and crannies that provide excellent exposure for free.One such source is the blog. A blog is an online diary. It is incredibly simple to update and maintain. You don’t need a web host so ther
Problem was, consumers had long ago become accustomed to using the phone book as a source of information about local businesses. Using a web site was a different story.
"Web site? " they might ask, "How do I find it?" Such comments often conveyed the gap between having a site that could fulfill its promise and having a site that did nothing but add an expense. While much of this happened just a few years ago, a lot has already changed.
Now, many consumers have grown comfortable using the Internet as a source for local information, and these numbers will grow. Unfortunately, the residual 'bad taste' lingers among many who operate in the local business arena today.
The irony is, more than ever, this market could benefit greatly from what the Internet can deliver… more customers, less expensively. So how can those of us who carry the daily 'torch' of how-and-why-web-based-marketing-works - help?
Local business owners need to be re-wired on what the Internet can do for them. They need to consider new statistics, new insights and new capabilities. For instance:
• 68 million adults in the U.S. went online looking for local business information in the last year. (How many found a competitor?)
• It's now possible to target consumers by city, even down to zip code - the areas local business people KNOW they get a majority of their business from.
• They need to learn why many web sites don't have a chance to sell anything, and how they can change this problem quickly.
• They need to learn who is most likely to buy from local web sites, (and why this usually surprises the local business owner.)
• They need to learn the proven formulas for building local customer relationships that lead to sales.
• They need to un
If you're just starting out on the Internet, choosing a domain name is one of the first major decisions you will have to make. I won't say that choosing a name for your site will determine the overall success or failure of your online business. It will, however, affect almost every aspect of your business. Finding a good domain name requires extensive planning.I would like to offer some tips for successfully choosing a domain name:1) Use the .COM extension. This is still the number one choice for the majority of online busi
The irony is, more than ever, this market could benefit greatly from what the Internet can deliver… more customers, less expensively. So how can those of us who carry the daily 'torch' of how-and-why-web-based-marketing-works - help?
Local business owners need to be re-wired on what the Internet can do for them. They need to consider new statistics, new insights and new capabilities. For instance:
• 68 million adults in the U.S. went online looking for local business information in the last year. (How many found a competitor?)
• It's now possible to target consumers by city, even down to zip code - the areas local business people KNOW they get a majority of their business from.
• They need to learn why many web sites don't have a chance to sell anything, and how they can change this problem quickly.
• They need to learn who is most likely to buy from local web sites, (and why this usually surprises the local business owner.)
• They need to learn the proven formulas for building local customer relationships that lead to sales.
• They need to un
The best contact centers must be leading providers of high quality contact center services. A contact center is the central point in an enterprise from which all customer contacts are managed. The contact center usually includes one or more online call centers but may also maintain other types of customer contact as well, such as e-mail newsletters, postal mail catalogs, website inquiries and chats, etc. A contact center is primarily meant for customer relationship management.The best contact centers will have ideal infrastructure t
• It's now possible to target consumers by city, even down to zip code - the areas local business people KNOW they get a majority of their business from.
• They need to learn why many web sites don't have a chance to sell anything, and how they can change this problem quickly.
• They need to learn who is most likely to buy from local web sites, (and why this usually surprises the local business owner.)
• They need to learn the proven formulas for building local customer relationships that lead to sales.
• They need to understand why local, web-based marketing can increase profits, lower expenses and increase their customer base.
Specific facts and strategies are much more accessible today. More and more local businesses ARE seeing benefits from web-based efforts - these aren't just theories anymore.
Still, the majority has only outdated or partial knowledge of how they can drive new customers to their business using web-based tactics.
Like all technology-driven trends, there will be those who adapt early and those who will adapt later. THAT choice is now staring the local business owner in the eye, whether they recognize it or not.
Recently published reports predict that local online spending will reach $50-$60 billion+ by 2007. The exact amount remains to be seen, but the local business owner CAN be sure, it WILL grow, and they need to be thinking about the local competitor who might effectively use their own web site... sooner.
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