Using the Web for Your Business

Barry RobertsProgram Manager, WebmasterUW-Madison SBDC

Goals for the Session

1. Determine the best way to use the Web for your business

2. Review best practices for developing a successful web presence

3. Demonstrate one way to build and launch a new site

4. Share resources

Survey Says:Do you already have a website?

70%

30%

1. Yes

2. No

Have you registered a domain name?

74%

26%

1. Yes

2. No

Do you sell online now?

96%

4%

1. Yes

2. No

Are you using social media for your business?

65%

35%

1. Yes

2. No

How will you develop & manage your web presence?

29%

5%

67%

1. Do it yourself

2. Hire an independent consultant to help

3. Hire a design & marketing firm

Which topic would be most helpful to you now? (choose one)

Domains &

hosting

Web si

te design

Marketing on th

e web

E-co

mmerce

Web busin

ess str

ategy

Oth

er?

14% 14%

5%

23%23%23%

1. Domains & hosting

2. Web site design

3. Marketing on the web

4. E-commerce

5. Web business strategy

6. Other?

Three Uses for the Web

1. Informational– Catalog– Brochure– Customer finds you

2. Marketing– You find the customer– E-promotions– Provide incentives

3. Selling: e-commerce– Monetization– Fulfillment & Service

Selling

Marketing

Informational

Why the Web?

What do you want your website to accomplish?

Highlight products/services Attract new clients Serve existing clients Sell products online

Target Customers

Who are they? What do they want from you? How do they use the web? How much time do they spend on the web? How much money do they have to spend? How technology savvy are they?

How Customers Use the Web

1. Informational Highlight products/services News/updates/resources Service and contact information

2. Marketing E-promotions & S.E.O. Content expert-blog, report Social networks

3. Selling: e-commerce Marketplace-eBay, Amazon Own online store

Selling

Marketing

Informational

Informational Website

Relatively easy to create & update Low cost Gets you into search engines and listings Usually static, not very interactive

Listing like Yellow Pages E-brochure

Good place to start & build up

Web Site Design

1. Do it yourself– Homestead www.homestead.com – Design software: Dreamweaver, Frontpage

2. Hire a designer

3. Hire a firm to design, host and market your site

DIY Using Homestead

Four Main Steps

1. Sign-up

2. Choose a design

3. Customize It

4. Publish it

Choose a Design

Law Office Example

www.zinberglawoffice.com

Internet Marketing

Customer information and feedback Use incentives to get contact information

Email marketing Affiliate marketing programs Paid ads Blogs and articles e-Newsletter or reports

Always ask for contact information: opt-in lists

Social media—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

Quick ‘n Dirty Content Marketing

1. You know good stuff.

2. Offered in the right form (friendly, engaging, portable), the stuff that you know can be helpful, valuable, entertaining to people.

3. People will like you for offering it to them.

4. People will tell others about you giving them good stuff.

5. Those people may buy your product/service.

6. Lather, rinse, repeat…Adapted from posting by Kat French, June 17, 2009

Web Resources

Domain name search www.whois.net Homestead www.homestead.com Constant Contact www.constantcontact.com IMS www.ims.net (local resource) SEO Book www.seobook.com Google for AdWords, Kewords, Analytics, etc. eBay marketplace www.ebay.com PayPal online payments www.paypal.com Web help resource www.websitetips.com Design help www.websitesthatsuck.com

Search Engine Optimization

The Small Business Owner's Handbook to Search Engine Optimization: Increase Your Google Rankings, Double Your Site Traffic...In Just 15 Steps - Guaranteed (Paperback)

by Stephen Woessner (Author)

Action Steps

1. Use business planning principles for planning your web presence.

2. Determine how you will build a site:1. Self

2. Hire an independent designer

3. Hire a web design & marketing firm

3. Determine your web marketing strategy

4. Start experimenting & upgrading

Questions? Other Resources?

User Profiles

Creators: make content-blog, music, pics, video Critics: respond to content-reviews, comments Collectors: organize content-RSS, tags, votes Joiners: joins groups, social networking sites Spectators: reads, watches, listens Inactives: doesn’t participate online

From Groundswell by Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li of Forrester Research