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Atricle Dump - How Do I Get My Business On The Internet?
These days if you don't blow your own trumpet then you are nowhere. This is why business houses and individuals leave no stone unturned when it comes to exploiting the various advertising mediums. The advertising balloon has caught the fancy of the advertisers who are thinking of flying high with their publicity dreams with it.What is an Advertising BalloonAn advertising balloon is a balloon which has some promotional slogan or graphic, printed across it. You can spot the advertising balloon swaying in the air usually in public spaces like above the fair grounds or in a marketplace, where it would have the greatest visibility.Why Advertising BalloonAn advertising balloon in essence will provide all the benefits that can be derived from any traditional form of advertising medium. That is, a strategically placed advertising balloon with the catchiest and the most persuasive slogan will never fail to grab public attention. This will in turn lead to brand recognition, media attention and consequently the sales increasing. A celebrity endorsement with the right kind of words in the newspaper or in the electronic media will also garner the same kind of gains.On the flip side of it, like its counterparts in the print, TV, Internet and the like, the advertising balloon too cannot sell a bad prod
- Support - Does it provide comprehensive Technical Support - 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
- Reliability - Does it have multiple large-scale links to the internet to provide a fail-safe path to your customers from anywhere in the world?
- Security - Does it have a robust security system that minimises risk of web site intrusion?
- State-of-the-art - Does the company utilises leading edge technology and is supported by a large-scale uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system.
- Scalability - Does the product range and services offered allow your business to grow without impediment by making it easy to upgrade and add components to existing product levels.
Step 4 - Getting people to your site.
The marketing of your website is important if you want to draw visitors to your site. If you don't promote your website no-one will ever see it. There are a number of different ways of advertising your website. The best strategy is one, which integrates your existing promotion methods with your website.
1. Office Stationery - Including your web address and email address on your stationery is probably the easiest way to draw attention to your site. It's cost effective and gets your Internet presence out there in the market place.
2. Business Cards - When prin
Neither couple I describe knows the other couple, but their stories are strikingly similar. Craig and Warren are both recently retired executives. Craig’s wife, Marcy, owns and operates a website design firm. Warren’s wife, Sharon, owns an exclusive gift shop. Both businesses are successful, and each woman finds business ownership
In fact, many people are even asking the question whether they should have a website. Whether you are a consultant, florist, designer, builder, architect or a doctor, consider the many advantages a website provides:
1. Make money – Set up an on-line store or get paid for advertising from other companies
2. Save money on advertising – Instead of paying for large ads, simply advertise your website
3. Be flexible in your message – Change the content as your business changes. No need to re-print expensive brochures.
4. Exposure to new customers – You will reach more local clients as well as interstate and global markets
5. Having more professional image – Keep up with the times and your competitors
6. Save time – Don’t spend hours on the phone, direct customers to your website
7. Keep your business open 24/7 – Provide customers information when THEY need it. If you don’t, someone else will.
So what does it really take to get your website set up?
Step 1 - Register your domain name OR not.
The big question is whether you need to register a domain name or not. The simple answer is NO, but a better answer is YES it is a good idea.
What is a domain name?
The purpose of a domain name is similar to that of a street address or telephone number. The domain name directs customers to you on the Internet. The domain by itself is not your email or web address. The domain does form the base from which these addresses are derived.
For example:
Company Name: QikPhone
Domain Name: qikphone.com.au
Web Address: www.qikphone.com.au
Email Address: sales@qikphone.com
Do I need to register a domain name to have a website?
NO, you don't need to have your own domain name. Your website can be created and hosted without it. Your website address will look something like this:
www.web4business.com.au/JBCleaning
OR
www.ozemail.com.au/~JBCleaning
The only advantage of not registering a domain name is that you will save yourself A$70 per year (it costs approx A$140 for 2 years to register a '.com.au' domain name).
The disadvantages of NOT having your domain name include:
1. If you decide to change your Webhosting company or if that company goes out of business, you will lose your website address. Your website can be transferred to a new company, but your address will change. And that means re-printing stationery and re-doing all your advertising, notifying all your customers etc.
2. Website addresses that contain information other than your company name are long and hard to remember and do not appear as professional. Compare these two and see which one you are more likely to remember:
www.ozemail.com.au/~JBCleaning
OR
www.JBCleaning.com.au
So it is a good idea to register a domain name, even if it is just to protect yourself for the future. Say for example, your business name is JB Cleaning and you decide not to register your domain name for now.
Along comes Joe Bloggs who opens his own cleaning business and registers JBCleaning.com.au domain name. After a year you decide you want to have your own domain name, but since Joe Bloggs already owns it, you won't be able to register it. Not to mention your customers who know your business as JB Cleaning may visit his website, thinking it's your web address and instead hire Joe Bloggs Cleaning.
Step 2 - Plan your website.
Planning your website is a two part process:
(a) Decide on the website design (colour schemes, buttons, special effects etc). This is your website designer's job. However, you may have a preference for a certain colour or look. To help you choose a design, you may wish to check out other people's websites or work with your web designer's pre-set templates.
(b) The content. There are many items you may wish to include on your website. The most common ones include:
- Product/Service Details
- Contact Information
- Pricing
- Testimonials
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Response Form, such as "Join Mailing List"
- On-line Magazine or Newsletter
- Resources & Articles
- Guarantee
- Survey
- Events Calender
- Search My Website Form
- Refund Policy
- Privacy Policy
- About Us Information
- Site Map
- Copyright information
- Useful Links
- Media Information
- On-line store
- News
- Directions to Your Bricks & Mortar Premises
Step 3 - Choose a Web Hosting Company.
What is a Web hosting Company?
A Web host is a company that provides server space for your website. You can think of a web host as a commercial building. The web host provides space for your website just as a commercial building provides space for your shop or office. You can build your own building and you can host your own website, but because of the cost and expertise required it is easier to rent the space.
Which Company Should I Choose?
Web hosting companies are not created equal so you need to take a number of things into account when selecting one. A proven track record, experience and reliability form the foundation of any successful business partnership.
Some of the issues you should consider when choosing a webhosting company include:
- Support - Does it provide comprehensive Technical Support - 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
- Reliability - Does it have multiple large-scale links to the internet to provide a fail-safe path to your customers from anywhere in the world?
- Security - Does it have a robust security system that minimises risk of web site intrusion?
- State-of-the-art - Does the company utilises leading edge technology and is supported by a large-scale uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system.
- Scalability - Does the product range and services offered allow your business to grow without impediment by making it easy to upgrade and add components to existing product levels.
Step 4 - Getting people to your site.
The marketing of your website is important if you want to draw visitors to your site. If you don't promote your website no-one will ever see it. There are a number of different ways of advertising your website. The best strategy is one, which integrates your existing promotion methods with your website.
1. Office Stationery - Including your web address and email address on your stationery is probably the easiest way to draw attention to your site. It's cost effective and gets your Internet presence out there in the market place.
2. Business Cards - When print
Press releases have the potential to create incredible exposure. Looking beyond the linking benefits, a well written press release may land you in newspapers, TV, and radio. I write quick content daily for websites. When a good subject doesn't come to mind, I turn to a news search engine for inspiration. Quite often the top results are press releases or news articles feeding from those press releases. Some of these releases inspire me; others are empty promotion with nothing of interest to me or my site visitors. Here are some tips on the making of a great press release. Know your reader. Balance between writing for the target audience (newspaper reader, radio listener, web surfer) and writing for an editor, reporter or journalist who may take up your subject or even reprint the story. Hooking both the media and the end consumer will result in a snowball of PR. Remember, a journalist scanning a PR source will make decisions based on the first few words of each article. Pack the opening with the hot topic points. Style A strong headline and intro is critical. It absolutely must capture the eye of someone skimming press releases and inspire further reading. Hit them with the news first. You can explain how and where it comes from later. Keep it b
What is a domain name?
The purpose of a domain name is similar to that of a street address or telephone number. The domain name directs customers to you on the Internet. The domain by itself is not your email or web address. The domain does form the base from which these addresses are derived.
For example:
Company Name: QikPhone
Domain Name: qikphone.com.au
Web Address: www.qikphone.com.au
Email Address: sales@qikphone.com
Do I need to register a domain name to have a website?
NO, you don't need to have your own domain name. Your website can be created and hosted without it. Your website address will look something like this:
www.web4business.com.au/JBCleaning
OR
www.ozemail.com.au/~JBCleaning
The only advantage of not registering a domain name is that you will save yourself A$70 per year (it costs approx A$140 for 2 years to register a '.com.au' domain name).
The disadvantages of NOT having your domain name include:
1. If you decide to change your Webhosting company or if that company goes out of business, you will lose your website address. Your website can be transferred to a new company, but your address will change. And that means re-printing stationery and re-doing all your advertising, notifying all your customers etc.
2. Website addresses that contain information other than your company name are long and hard to remember and do not appear as professional. Compare these two and see which one you are more likely to remember:
www.ozemail.com.au/~JBCleaning
OR
www.JBCleaning.com.au
So it is a good idea to register a domain name, even if it is just to protect yourself for the future. Say for example, your business name is JB Cleaning and you decide not to register your domain name for now.
Along comes Joe Bloggs who opens his own cleaning business and registers JBCleaning.com.au domain name. After a year you decide you want to have your own domain name, but since Joe Bloggs already owns it, you won't be able to register it. Not to mention your customers who know your business as JB Cleaning may visit his website, thinking it's your web address and instead hire Joe Bloggs Cleaning.
Step 2 - Plan your website.
Planning your website is a two part process:
(a) Decide on the website design (colour schemes, buttons, special effects etc). This is your website designer's job. However, you may have a preference for a certain colour or look. To help you choose a design, you may wish to check out other people's websites or work with your web designer's pre-set templates.
(b) The content. There are many items you may wish to include on your website. The most common ones include:
- Product/Service Details
- Contact Information
- Pricing
- Testimonials
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Response Form, such as "Join Mailing List"
- On-line Magazine or Newsletter
- Resources & Articles
- Guarantee
- Survey
- Events Calender
- Search My Website Form
- Refund Policy
- Privacy Policy
- About Us Information
- Site Map
- Copyright information
- Useful Links
- Media Information
- On-line store
- News
- Directions to Your Bricks & Mortar Premises
Step 3 - Choose a Web Hosting Company.
What is a Web hosting Company?
A Web host is a company that provides server space for your website. You can think of a web host as a commercial building. The web host provides space for your website just as a commercial building provides space for your shop or office. You can build your own building and you can host your own website, but because of the cost and expertise required it is easier to rent the space.
Which Company Should I Choose?
Web hosting companies are not created equal so you need to take a number of things into account when selecting one. A proven track record, experience and reliability form the foundation of any successful business partnership.
Some of the issues you should consider when choosing a webhosting company include:
- Support - Does it provide comprehensive Technical Support - 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
- Reliability - Does it have multiple large-scale links to the internet to provide a fail-safe path to your customers from anywhere in the world?
- Security - Does it have a robust security system that minimises risk of web site intrusion?
- State-of-the-art - Does the company utilises leading edge technology and is supported by a large-scale uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system.
- Scalability - Does the product range and services offered allow your business to grow without impediment by making it easy to upgrade and add components to existing product levels.
Step 4 - Getting people to your site.
The marketing of your website is important if you want to draw visitors to your site. If you don't promote your website no-one will ever see it. There are a number of different ways of advertising your website. The best strategy is one, which integrates your existing promotion methods with your website.
1. Office Stationery - Including your web address and email address on your stationery is probably the easiest way to draw attention to your site. It's cost effective and gets your Internet presence out there in the market place.
2. Business Cards - When prin
I read somewhere that the best test for creativity in business was simply to ask “are you creative?” So I tried it. And for the majority of people it seemingly proved true. The people that we all see as creative (designers, PowerPoint gurus, out of the box thinkers) said yes; and the planners, project managers, sales people said no. So I naively believed it to be true.Watching my two year old daughter run around and play reminds me that we’re all creative. We all have boundless imaginations. We always have. Unfortunately our educational system has progressively worked that aspect our being out of our nature. No educational system on the planet puts as much emphasis on creativity as they do logic. Think about the number of math and science classes you took versus the arts and humanities. Not that logic is bad. In fact, it’s a critical element of life. I just believe that we are over-balanced on logic compared to creativity.I believe the lack of creativity is slowly killing business. That lack is driving everything to a commodity price-driven market. It’s creating an environment that puts cost cutting before customer satisfaction. Without creative thinking how will the engineering team discover the next breakthrough product? How will the marketing team develop messaging that stands above a crowded market place
www.ozemail.com.au/~JBCleaning
OR
www.JBCleaning.com.au
So it is a good idea to register a domain name, even if it is just to protect yourself for the future. Say for example, your business name is JB Cleaning and you decide not to register your domain name for now.
Along comes Joe Bloggs who opens his own cleaning business and registers JBCleaning.com.au domain name. After a year you decide you want to have your own domain name, but since Joe Bloggs already owns it, you won't be able to register it. Not to mention your customers who know your business as JB Cleaning may visit his website, thinking it's your web address and instead hire Joe Bloggs Cleaning.
Step 2 - Plan your website.
Planning your website is a two part process:
(a) Decide on the website design (colour schemes, buttons, special effects etc). This is your website designer's job. However, you may have a preference for a certain colour or look. To help you choose a design, you may wish to check out other people's websites or work with your web designer's pre-set templates.
(b) The content. There are many items you may wish to include on your website. The most common ones include:
- Product/Service Details
- Contact Information
- Pricing
- Testimonials
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Response Form, such as "Join Mailing List"
- On-line Magazine or Newsletter
- Resources & Articles
- Guarantee
- Survey
- Events Calender
- Search My Website Form
- Refund Policy
- Privacy Policy
- About Us Information
- Site Map
- Copyright information
- Useful Links
- Media Information
- On-line store
- News
- Directions to Your Bricks & Mortar Premises
Step 3 - Choose a Web Hosting Company.
What is a Web hosting Company?
A Web host is a company that provides server space for your website. You can think of a web host as a commercial building. The web host provides space for your website just as a commercial building provides space for your shop or office. You can build your own building and you can host your own website, but because of the cost and expertise required it is easier to rent the space.
Which Company Should I Choose?
Web hosting companies are not created equal so you need to take a number of things into account when selecting one. A proven track record, experience and reliability form the foundation of any successful business partnership.
Some of the issues you should consider when choosing a webhosting company include:
- Support - Does it provide comprehensive Technical Support - 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
- Reliability - Does it have multiple large-scale links to the internet to provide a fail-safe path to your customers from anywhere in the world?
- Security - Does it have a robust security system that minimises risk of web site intrusion?
- State-of-the-art - Does the company utilises leading edge technology and is supported by a large-scale uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system.
- Scalability - Does the product range and services offered allow your business to grow without impediment by making it easy to upgrade and add components to existing product levels.
Step 4 - Getting people to your site.
The marketing of your website is important if you want to draw visitors to your site. If you don't promote your website no-one will ever see it. There are a number of different ways of advertising your website. The best strategy is one, which integrates your existing promotion methods with your website.
1. Office Stationery - Including your web address and email address on your stationery is probably the easiest way to draw attention to your site. It's cost effective and gets your Internet presence out there in the market place.
2. Business Cards - When prin
If one were to ask the average manufacturer to list some of the major difficulties faced in the industry today, his or her list would most likely include the effort to comply with customer requirements. And in today’s world, these requirements usually include a large number of rules designed to protect the environment and adhere to increasingly strict regulations set by both foreign and domestic governments.In recent years, powerhouse companies like Wal-Mart have begun to demand their suppliers adopt very rigorous environmental codes. Since mammoth companies like Wal-Mart have enough power to virtually make or break one’s business, it is essential that suppliers learn to comply, or face the possibility of extinction. As a result, businesses involved in any aspect of manufacturing and production must now develop new methods and procedures in order to comply.This includes the packaging industry. In recent years, suppliers have made great strides in the development of innovative products that are more environmentally friendly. One such product is plastic corrugated, a durable material designed to replace the conventional paper, or cardboard, corrugated products which once dominated the packaging industry. Corrugated plastic is formed when two plastic liners are fused together on either side of a sheet of wavy p
Step 3 - Choose a Web Hosting Company.
What is a Web hosting Company?
A Web host is a company that provides server space for your website. You can think of a web host as a commercial building. The web host provides space for your website just as a commercial building provides space for your shop or office. You can build your own building and you can host your own website, but because of the cost and expertise required it is easier to rent the space.
Which Company Should I Choose?
Web hosting companies are not created equal so you need to take a number of things into account when selecting one. A proven track record, experience and reliability form the foundation of any successful business partnership.
Some of the issues you should consider when choosing a webhosting company include:
- Support - Does it provide comprehensive Technical Support - 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
- Reliability - Does it have multiple large-scale links to the internet to provide a fail-safe path to your customers from anywhere in the world?
- Security - Does it have a robust security system that minimises risk of web site intrusion?
- State-of-the-art - Does the company utilises leading edge technology and is supported by a large-scale uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system.
- Scalability - Does the product range and services offered allow your business to grow without impediment by making it easy to upgrade and add components to existing product levels.
Step 4 - Getting people to your site.
The marketing of your website is important if you want to draw visitors to your site. If you don't promote your website no-one will ever see it. There are a number of different ways of advertising your website. The best strategy is one, which integrates your existing promotion methods with your website.
1. Office Stationery - Including your web address and email address on your stationery is probably the easiest way to draw attention to your site. It's cost effective and gets your Internet presence out there in the market place.
2. Business Cards - When prin
In the Transportation Sector often we see anti-truck comments in the newspaper, TV or hear them on the radio. Some folks apparently do not understand that everything they buy came to the market via a truck at some point. And yet all they see in traffic jams is these big vehicles blocking their view of more traffic ahead.The motorists are quick to complain about the traffic, embellish accident reports and pull up old articles of truck accidents and pitch the anti-truck safety issues. We all know these are unfounded and yet public perception is the key. This is why Trucking Companies need to stay on the ball with proper public relations.Perhaps you have seen some of the public relations in the past for instance the National Trucking Safety Watch, kind of like a Neighborhood Watch rolling along American Highways. Maybe you have seen the “No-Zone” campaign to alert drivers not to drive in the driver’s blind spots.Remember the; Keep on Trucking, bumper stickers? Now we trucks with messages on the sides and public service announcements, these types of public relations programs turn the side of the truck into a billboard of good will. Public relations with trucking companies are important and they should be considered, so think on this in 2006.
- Support - Does it provide comprehensive Technical Support - 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
- Reliability - Does it have multiple large-scale links to the internet to provide a fail-safe path to your customers from anywhere in the world?
- Security - Does it have a robust security system that minimises risk of web site intrusion?
- State-of-the-art - Does the company utilises leading edge technology and is supported by a large-scale uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system.
- Scalability - Does the product range and services offered allow your business to grow without impediment by making it easy to upgrade and add components to existing product levels.
Step 4 - Getting people to your site.
The marketing of your website is important if you want to draw visitors to your site. If you don't promote your website no-one will ever see it. There are a number of different ways of advertising your website. The best strategy is one, which integrates your existing promotion methods with your website.
1. Office Stationery - Including your web address and email address on your stationery is probably the easiest way to draw attention to your site. It's cost effective and gets your Internet presence out there in the market place.
2. Business Cards - When printing business cards you should include the individual's email address and main address of your website.
3. Radio Advertising
Radio Advertising should include your web address. Don't include the http://, try "Visit us on the internet at w-w-w-dot-qikphone-dot-com-dot-au". If your budget is limited, you may wish to consider community radios.
4. Email and Mail-Outs
Let your current customers know the details of your website. You can either send them an email or a letter/postcard. Keep your website's content up-to-date and they will keep coming back!
5. Print Media
Print advertising should include a generic email address for the company and include your website address. Normally positioned at the bottom right or bottom centre of your advertisement.
6. Search Engines & Directories
People looking for your website who don't know the URL are most likely to use an on-line search engine to look for your organisation or the kind of products and services you offer. There are over 300 major search engines and directories, but you should concentrate on the larger, more commonly used ones. These include: Google, Yahoo, Altavista, Anzwers, Inktomi, Infoseek, Lycos, Excite, HotBot, MSN, Dogpile, AllTheWeb etc.
7. Links from other websites
A good way to attract visitors to your site is through the use of hyperlinks placed on other sites. If you know of another site which has a list of links and you think your website would be a good addition, let the website owner know. You might also offer to provide a link from your site back to the other site. This will encourage the webmaster to include your site. You should also seek out partners for trading links including vendors, suppliers and providers of complimentary products.
8. Link Exchange
Another way to getting a link is through a system called Link Exchange, a free public service designed to help websites advertise each other. With Link Exchange, you agree to display advertising banners for other Link Exchange members and they agree to display banners for you. The System is automatic, you simply add a piece of HTML code to your web page and Link Exchange will display an advertisement for another website. The disadvantage with Link Exchange is that you don't get any control as to where your banner ad appears or the type of banner ads that will appear on your website. It is not possible to guarantee that a competitor of yours may have their banner ad displayed on your site.
9. Paid Banner Advertising/Affiliate Marketing Programs
Various sites give you the opportunity to purchase banner advertising on their site. Some sites will charge you a flat monthly fee while other sites will charge you based on the number of people who see your ad.
Step 5 - Monitor your site's statistics
Your website's statistics should show who visits your website, where in the world they come from, how they are finding your site and what pages are being viewed. Knowing your customers is the first step in effective marketing. Most webhosting companies will provide access to this information free of charge.
Step 6 - Maintaining your website
It is important to update your website regularly to keep your customers interested. One of the great advantages of having a website is that you can change its content virtually overnight at minimal cost (unlike re-printing brochures and flyers).
This is just a brief overview of the process involved in getting your website up and running. In future articles we will cover each step in more detail.
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