Article printed from SiteProNews: http://www.sitepronews.com
  HTML version available at: http://www.sitepronews.com/archives.html

Note: This issue of SPN contains two separate and distinct articles.
 
Top 10 Tips For Using Web 2.0 To Promote Your Business
By Kevin Stirtz (c) 2007

We hear a lot about "Web 2.0" these days. It sounds neat
and it's trendy to talk about blogging and social media. But
does it really affect our businesses? Is Web 2.0 just for kids
and tech-hipsters or is it something we business owners should
use to help promote our businesses?

I can't tell you if Web 2.0 is right for your business, but I
can tell you it's something to be aware of. Ignoring it means
ignoring a possible tool that could be valuable in helping you
get more customers.

So, to help you get started in thinking about Web 2.0 for your
business, here are some things for you to consider.

1. Have a plan.

Don't dive in just because it's cool or because you read an
article about it. Be clear about what you're trying to
accomplish, how much you're willing to invest and what time
frame you are working on. Like any aspect of your business -
plan ahead.

2. Make sure your target audience is online.

Web 2.0 tools are fun but useless if the people who see your
stuff don't want what you offer. Or if they don't look to the
Web for information to help them buy what you sell, then your
efforts will be less effective. Like any marketing channel, it
only works if your prospective customers are there to see (or
hear) your message and they are receptive to it.

3. Create good content.

Web 2.0 is the social web, but it's still content-driven. Lousy
content leads to lousy marketing, no matter how flashy it is.
Make your content relevant, interesting and real. Put yourself
in your customer's shoes and answer their questions with your
content.

4. Don't sell.

Help, inform, educate but do not sell. Web 2.0 is all about
people connecting by helping each other. No salesmen allowed!
Think education, not advertising. Deliver useful, nuts and bolts
stuff or honest opinions they can believe. That's how you build
credibility and trust that lead to new customer relationships.

5. Start with a free hosted blog.

Wordpress (http://www.Wordpress.com) and Blogger
(http://www.Blogger.com) both have very useful and simple blogs
you can setup for free. Use them to start blogging and get a
feel for how it works and how people use Web 2.0. Dip your toe
in the water before diving in.

6. Talk to kids

Chat with some kids (ages 8 to 18) and find out how they use
the web. They are the trend-setters. What they're doing now, the
rest of us will be doing soon. Learn what they do and why. This
helps you understand the web from a different perspective.

7. Do it yourself.

Web 2.0 is about being real. It's real people connecting with
each other. It's okay to hire a pro to advise you. But to keep
it genuine, make sure you or your employees create the content
and do the work. Otherwise people will know you're faking it.

8. Buy a camcorder and start shooting

Go to Best Buy or Radio Shack and buy an inexpensive camcorder,
tripod and lapel microphone. Buy 20-30 tapes too. Then take a
weekend and shoot film. Practice, practice, practice. Get
comfortable being on camera so you're not nervous or dorky.
Then, write a funny or useful how-to sketch and film it. Use
Microsoft MovieMaker to edit and then upload to
http://YouTube.com.

9. Buy an inexpensive audio recorder

MusicBarn.com has a package that includes M-Audio's MobilePre
USB recording interface. Add a microphone and you have a high
quality setup to record podcasts and MP3 audio files whenever
you want. Then buy NGWave sound editing software to make it
sound professional and you're in business.

10. Surf 'till it Hurts

Surf blogs, YouTube, Google Videos, http://Del.icio.us, Digg,
Reddit, StumbleUpon, Technorati and other social media websites.
Get a feel for how they work and who goes there. Become part of
some social media communities. Make new friends online. Immerse
yourself in the Web 2.0 culture so you know how it works and if
it might fit your marketing plans.
================================================================
Kevin Stirtz helps businesses get more customers without spending
a fortune. He is an author, speaker, consultant and president of
http://www.EasyFastWebSpace.com, a web hosting service that helps
businesses get on the web easier and faster.
================================================================

10 Rules To Keep Your Website Visitors Engaged
By Deepak Dutta (c) 2007

Do you know that most visitors leave a website within 10
seconds of landing on the home page? And they may never return
to the same site. To keep your website visitors stay longer, you
need to engage them. Follow these 10 simple rules to build a set
of core loyal visitors who will return to your site frequently.

1. If you have a brick-and-mortar business and you want an
online presence, don't just hand over your printed brochure to
the web developer for your site's content.

2. Get good text, picture, and video content related to your
products or services and organize them into categories for your
website publication. How do you get content? You can ask your
kids to write content for you. Today's kids are information
savvy and know how to do research on right topics. They can help
take pictures and videos of your products and provide
narrations. If you cannot leverage your kids talents and you
don't have time to develop content, buy them from online
sources, like distributors of private label rights to articles
and stock photographs. You need a small content set to launch
your web site.

3. Ask your developer for some sample websites he has developed
in the past and review them. If you find clutter, music,
unprofessional graphics, etc. in those sites, run away from the
developer. Tell your web developer to use basic search engine
optimization techniques for your web site. Use a developer who
uses content management systems (CMS) to develop websites. You
or your kids and spouse will be able to maintain and add
content regularly to a CMS without much effort.

4. You must have an About US page in your website that explains
the expertise of your company and your unique selling
proposition. Also, you should provide a phone number and an
e-mail address for contact.

5. Publish a weekly tips section in your website. If you are in
a business for a long time, you have a wealth of knowledge about
your business, market, and technologies related to your
business. Make it a habit of jotting down one tip every day. You
will have plenty of tips for your weekly publication.

6. Don't use guest books, testimonials etc. These are so Web
1.0 concepts. Use a forum. Let your customers interact among
themselves. Develop a value network. You get into the insights
of your customers' minds by reading their posts and your
visitors know your products and services by talking to each
other. As a result, you will be able to provide improved
products and services and ask for a premium price.

7. Promptly answer all your visitors' e-mail. This is one thing
you should never delay. Use your visitors comments, e-mail, and
other form of communications to generate ideas for new articles
and tips.

8. Tell your web developer to include an RSS feed on your site
and publish filtered news related to the market you serve and
emerging technologies in that market. Don't use a weather
report. Nobody comes to your site to check the weather.

9. Publish a frequently asked questions page related to your
products and services. It helps save your visitors' time and
effort when they are looking for information on a particular
topic related to your website.

10. Did you know that the average person must be exposed to an
offer around seven times before they will make a purchase? Make
your website an advertising platform for your most popular
items. Advertise them throughout your site but don't use any
'in-your face advertising' techniques. You can use side bars for
this type of advertising with interesting anecdotes, pictures,
etc. Be creative and use your imagination.

Your website is your publishing medium. It is not your online
catalog. You want repeat visitors who spend their time at your
site for valuable information. The possibility of visitors
turning into a paying customers improves when they stick around
your site longer.
================================================================
Dr. Deepak Dutta is the creator of http://www.semanticbay.com -
an interactive social network website based on user shared text
and picture contents on any topics. His other website
http://www.classifiedsforfree.com - is one of the oldest online
classifieds sites.
================================================================

Copyright © 2007 Jayde Online, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

SiteProNews is a registered service mark of Jayde Online, Inc.