Some time ago it would have been good to have an Internet presence for your business. In todays fast-paced information age it is a most essential business tool. Customers demands and needs are increasing to the extent that instant gratification seems no longer fast enough! There is now an expectation for even the smallest of businesses to have a web presence. Rather than an optional marketing tool it is now becoming a hygiene factor and an essential must have for all businesses.

There are many advantages and benefits of using the Internet as another business promotional and in some cases active marketing tool. As a business owner, even if you have no interest in the Internet, you want to at least have an information site which is effectively an electronic leaflet.

But with its global reach, instant access and interactivity it can become a highly proactive and effective sales tool. Through the Internet you are able to have a global presence, display a corporate image and build credibility with customers and targeted prospects alike.

Lets consider the main reasons people go online. Generally they are information seeking. Apart from regular home shopping and book/CD purchases, most people are searching for information and are not necessarily ready to buy. We can meet this need by ensuring that our web site is full of useful information and education. This can be achieved with free downloadable documents containing white papers, thought papers, reports and buyers guides. These should be designed as an independent study of the buying factors and considerations required to make an intelligent buying decision.

The beauty of this approach is that it enables you to add value to a potential purchaser without them having to make a commitment to buy. By giving worthwhile information you can become the only natural choice provider. You are also able to gain email addresses to build your enquiry database.

The general design of your site needs to be clean and simple to use. The home page and each of the top level pages need to contain interest arousing and benefit oriented headline statements to capture attention and gain interest from browsers. You only have a few seconds to achieve these aims. The top level pages need to contain benefit summaries of your products and services with a click-through for more detail.

Overall your site needs to contain a comprehensive list of your products and services, brief information about your business and expertise and a means of contacting you. It is best to restrict the contact details you request to a bare minimum as people are hesitant to give personal details. For example, email address and name is sufficient for a new enquiry.

Make sure you keep your product and service information up to date. I would recommend keeping graphics and photography simple and being very selective with use of colour. It is very easy and tempting to go way overboard with colour and graphics.

Where possible use multi-media information. For example include a click through to visual presentations, audio recordings and video snapshots. This enables browsers to choose their preferred communication method to receive information.

I would recommend that you seek specialist advice from a reliable Internet Consultant, for the development of your site. This will enable you to take advantage of e-commerce options, search engine optimisation and email marketing.

Some of the best aspects of email marketing are its low-cost and instant contact/response. Electronic Newsletters or E-Zines are a very effective way of keeping existing customers informed and up to date. For email marketing you will want to have the tools available to manage opt-outs and bounce backs.

If you would like a free, no obligation 40 minute telephone consultation (valued at 666) on Internet Marketing then call free in the UK on 0800 612 0618, email mail@brianjamesgroup.com or visit my website at www.brianjamesgroup.com Brian James.

ISBN 0-9548916-0-0?
Brian James is author of the breakthrough management book “Don’t Work for Your Business - Make Your Business Work for You”. Brian is creator of the breakthrough Triple M marketing methodology and founder of the Sales & Marketing Academy, a membership programme for ambitious business owners and managers providing ongoing advice, coaching and mentoring support.
Brian has been interviewed on national television as a business authority and has worked with blue-chip and small to medium sized companies across many sectors.
Some of the larger organisations he has worked with include the Prudential Group and British Telecom.

He currently operates as Chairman of the Brian James Group a business advisory Group for owner managed businesses.