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Christian InTech Articles - Small Business
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Customer Loyalty
Loyal customers are the foundation of almost every business. Going the extra mile to provide outstanding customer service is the first step to customer loyalty. But there is more. Of course - your products and services in general need to be...
Maintaining Small Town Charm In An Ever-Changing World
Virtually any state in the country has the appeal of multiple small towns. Ask almost anyone who lives in small town why they are here and they’ll tell you they enjoy the small town feeling while being close to all the conveniences of a larger...
Small Business Q & A: Cut Start-Up Costs By Using a Dropshipper
Q: I'm starting an online specialty shop that sells gifts and home accessories. I want to be able to have items dropshipped to customers through my site. I already have a Web site and a domain reserved, but I don't have a lot of money to get this...
The Top 10 Ways To Grow Your Small Business
I started my company (EMJ) from the trunk of my car (and it was
a small trunk so that's a small business). I grew EMJ to
$375,000,000 in sales prior to selling it to SYNNEX. I am now
CEO of a $1 billion business.
Many of our most important...
Why Small Businesses Fail
Success in business is never automatic. It isn't strictly based on luck - although a little never hurts. It depends primarily on the owner's foresight and organization. Even then, of course, there are no guarantees. In his book Small Business...
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Web-Site Savvy for Small Business Owners
Home-based business owners don’t have an inordinate amount of time or money to dedicate to hosting, building or maintaining a website. But you should note that the internet plays a part in the daily routine of 88% of Americans, and of those, 92% indicate that it’s a good place for information.
As a home-based business owner, you know that the majority of the decision-makers regarding your product or service are women, and a March 2004 Nielson/NetRanking & Washintonpost.com survey found that “60% of working women using the internet at work do so because they feel that there is not enough time for personal activities and issues in their lives. 63% of those women would definitely include the internet in a marketing campaign geared toward their demographic.”
On-line usage is not just for city-dwellers either, 52% of the residents of rural areas are on-line too! (PewInternet, American Life Project, February 2004).
As a home-based business owner, you must not overlook the power of your web-page as a key part of your marketing plan.
You can build your web-site yourself (there are lots of ‘turn-key’ options available by searching the internet) or hire a professional (again, searching the web will provide thousands of options for high-quality and cost-attractive designers).
No matter what you decide to do, here are 17 rules for making sure your home-based business web-site stands out, provides your customers what they need to know and makes it easy for them to do business with you.
1.Define and target your particular audience. Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Write each page for your ‘perfect reader’ and don’t sway from that target.
2.Forget the bells and whistles. Internet users have all kinds of browsers and many are not impressed by the fancy animations and sounds you may think are cute. Keep to the facts and pertinent information about the particular service you provide.
3.Use one page for one topic. Don’t try to cram everything you know about your industry on the same page as your rates and billing policies.
4.On the web, remember the mantra, “Less is More.” Ask yourself constantly can you say what you need to with fewer words and pictures?
5.Check your spelling and grammar. If this is not your strong suit, hire someone to provide this service. If your spelling and grammar are not up-to-par, visitors to your site will either think your business is a ‘fake’ or they will believe that you do not pay attention to detail.
6.Make sure your website is easy to read. Use headings and sub-headings. Keep your sentences short. Use bullets and lists to make important points. Set apart important text by bolding or using a different
color.
7.Make it easy for your potential clients to reach you. Have a link on every page to your e-mail address and include your phone number on every page.
8.Ensure that you home page makes it abundantly clear who you are and what you do. Don’t make them guess.
9.Use terms like YOU and YOUR rather than terms like WE and US. Your potential clients want to know what benefits you can provide to them. Make them feel how you can solve their problems.
10.Do your potential clients know what to do next in order to buy from you? Give them all the information they need to take the next step.
11.Check all your links. Dead links can turn off a client fast. If you are providing links to useful information, make sure they can get there! If in doubt, leave it out.
12.Choose your graphics wisely. Too many graphics distract from your message. Most clip-art graphics look tacky and take away from your business message. If you’ve seen the graphic before, they have too, likely several hundred times and they won’t remember if it was your company or someone else’s.
13.Write conversationally. Make sure the tone of your web-site sounds like you. This is especially important for a sole-proprietor who is selling their unique brand of personal care and attention to the customer.
14. Choose your colors wisely. Bright vibrant colors are terrific, but use them sparingly in borders or to highlight sections. Don’t use busy patterns behind your main text and don’t use background colors that clash with your text color. In most instances simple black text on white background for your key pages is best.
15.Maintain consistency. Make sure your website look likes it belongs together. Have similar fonts and layouts on every page.
16.Avoid using all caps.
17.Keep it flowing. Don’t just build your site and leave it. In order to keep people coming back your site must provide useful information that is not stagnant. Schedule an appointment with yourself at least once a month to update your site.
Successful home-based business owners have identified their web-site as one of their top marketing tools. Make sure that you are getting the most out of your web-presence to ensure continued business success.
About the Author
Peggie Arvidson-Dailey is the founder of Pet Care Business University and the Pet-Care Business Success System™. She is the author of the “Maintain your Love Affair with Your Pet” Series and several articles on finding and maintaining happy customers for Pet-centered businesses. As a trainer and coach she has helped people across the country create and build the pet-care business of their dreams. Visit http://www.peggiespets.com for more information.
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