5 Tips for Taking Your Small Business Online

Re: 5 Tips for Taking Your Small Business Online

1.Your product line should be able to be delivered economically and conveniently through the mail or over the Internet.
2. The Web allows you to market to customers outside your geographical location. Your product should appeal to people nation-or-continent-wide.
3.Compare new “technology” costs to current bricks and mortar costs, e.g.: rent, labor, inventory and printing costs.
4. Realize that the World Wide Web levels the playing ground—you can look like a big company with a great Web site.
5. Draw visitors to your site cheaply. Establish and grow alliances that will hotlink to your site for free

Re: 5 Tips for Taking Your Small Business Online

1. Create Anticipation

Even before your presentation day arrives, reach out to your audience using social media channels to get them excited about your talk. Online community tools like MeetUp and Ning, as well Twitter hashtags or a dedicated Facebook Page allow attendees to start discussions even before the event takes place.

As an added benefit, if you build a relationship early on with your audience, they will be less likely to disrupt the conversation on the social media “backchannel” during your presentation.
2. Create a Social-Friendly Presentation

Not only do you want to create a dynamic, video and image-rich presentation that blows the traditional PowerPoint slides out of the water, but you also want to make sure the content of your presentation is “social friendly.” This means adding short, tweetable sound bites to your slides that audience members can quickly absorb and send out on their social networks.
3. Use Interactive Polling
4.Use the Backchannel, but Wisely

Inviting your audience to comment on your presentation in real-time through a live Twitter stream, or “backchannel” can be a powerful way to turn your presentation into a two-way conversation. Of course, it can also invite disaster if the audience begins posting negative or inappropriate comments while you are speaking.

5.Keep the Conversation Going After You’ve Left the Podium

The conversation doesn’t end when your presentation does; it’s only just getting started. Social media means people will be talking about, sharing links to, and commenting on your presentation for days or even weeks. Make it easy for anyone interested in the topic to find the web version of your presentation by tweeting about it with hashtags, posting on your Facebook Page, e-mailing your contact list, or any other way you can think of to keep the conversation going.

Re: 5 Tips for Taking Your Small Business Online

Hi

Building Your Base

Commercials and print ads used to be highly efficient at getting small businesses the attention they needed, but the internet has introduced great potential that is unmatched by any other venue. There are many ways to getting a small business online starting with the website which should be chosen and designed in the most appropriate way. You don’t want a bland website that is going to deflect the traffic you need from the internet. You want a site with a professional design that provides the appropriate information for your target consumers to read. Providing the most information can win the sale or the customers you are seeking to earn.

Getting the Viewers to Your Site

Ensuring your target viewers can find your website, you should employ the appropriate SEO for your site. SEO is the short term for search engine optimization and is likely the most important marketing measure you can do online. Your website will become your online portal for all those you are seeking as consumers to find you and become your customers. If there isn’t the appropriate SEO performed on your site, you could end up having a site that brings in no viewers and those you are seeking to reach will still be unaware of you or your business.

Driving traffic with social media and paid advertisement

Small businesses can take great use from paid advertisement as well as social networking online. These are two options that get the viewers to the site, outside of the SEO. Paid advertisements provide a cost-efficient method of getting ads online for viewers to see on other business’ sites. Social networking provides a basis by which communication to the targeted audience is possible and highly effective.

Thanks

Re: 5 Tips for Taking Your Small Business Online

Hi
Starting an Online Business – One Step at a Time

But for many small businesses, micro businesses and sole proprietors, taking their business online (whether e-commerce is involved or not) is easier said than done. Yep, anyone can secure a domain name and subscribe to a $5.99 monthly Web hosting plan. But an online business is merely a vehicle for the product or service you are selling. So starting a Web-based business – and making it a success – will take more than just “getting online”.

Thanks