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Atricle Dump - Building a Website Part 2 - The Planning Stage
What is a Blog and Other Blog QuestionsIf you are planning on adding blogging to your business repertoire or as part of your internet marketing strategy, you must first get some answers to a few questions concerning the impact that blogging can have on your business. Therefore, a few questions regarding this and their answers have been put together for you.First, what exactly is a blog - is it like a journal you write in every day?It can be a journal, or be used like a website to promote your business. It can even be used to generate traffic to your main website. I think one of the main differences between a blog and a website is that you are constantly updating your content on a blog which makes your site more attractive to search engines and readers alike. Also, they can be more personal and even more interactive, if you will.Further questions that need to be answered are: Why would anyone want to look at it? If I'm having trouble getting people to my website, why/how would getting them to my Blog be any easier? How exactly does it
Some businesses are afraid to leave a clear indication of what they offe
And is having a logo really that important?My answer to both of these questions is an emphatic YES!A logo is a graphic or visual representation of your brand. Your brand is your business, product or service and what it stands for. It's whatever you are out in the marketplace selling.Why do small businesses need a logo?Why can't they just market using their company name? Logos are expensive, right? Can a small business owner really afford to get a logo? Or at least a good logo? Lots of questions. Some I'm sure you've pondered yourself at one time or another.I believe ALL businesses should have a logoYou need a graphic element that captures the essence of your business and communicates an idea to your prospects and customers. A mark that can lead the look and feel of all of your marketing materials.You only have a split second to grab someone's attentionYou need to make the most of that time. A good logo mark can communicate a message or intrigue a prospect to want to find out more.Before you decide y
Now that you are ready to start designing your website, you need to put a plan in place for what you want your website to achieve. Planning is a very important component in getting ready to build your website, and to see what is necessary for its design. If you don't plan properly, and don't think of everything you will need before the website is built, you may find your costs will skyrocket simply because of the additions you need to include. Of course the web design company you have chosen--if you are using one--should be able to guide you in the right direction, but no-one knows your business like you do, so both parties should be involved in the planning.
Planning
Define the purpose of your website.
What do you want your website to achieve for you? It is important that you clearly understand the purpose of your own website. Websites can be used for different purposes, such as:
- Marketing, branding, site positioning
- Promotional campaign site
- Transactional sales-oriented site
- Customer service support site
- How to instructional site
- Product or service demonstration site
- Lead generation site
- Viral or buzz creation site
Who your target market is?
What type of visitor to your website are you trying to attract? I come across many small to medium businesses that don't have a clear definition of who their target customer is. The clearer the understanding you have, the easier it will be for you to connect with your target audience and the more successful your website will be. If your website is not clear in what you offer, then it is highly likely you will quickly lose these visitors.
Some businesses are afraid to leave a clear indication of what they offer
If you have never bought anything on Ebay, and you are wondering how it all works, maybe I can help you. There are a few ways you can buy things on Ebay, Ebay Auction, Buy It Now, and Best Offer. With Ebay Auction, is just like any other auction, in that you make a bid on an item, and the highest bidder wins the auction. With Buy It Now, you simply click the Buy It Now button, and pay the Buy It Now price. With Best Offer, you make an offer to the seller, and the seller can decline your offer, or accept your offer, and you can make up to 3 offers on an item. If the seller accepts your offer, you have won the item.The first step in buying items on Ebay is to become an Ebay member. To become an Ebay member, go to Ebay.com, and click on register. On the registration page, fill in your information.Once you are an Ebay member, you can buy items on Ebay. When you find an item that you’d like to buy, make sure to read their item description thoroughly, to make sure you agree to their terms. For instance, some people only accept PayPal for paymen
Planning
Define the purpose of your website.
What do you want your website to achieve for you? It is important that you clearly understand the purpose of your own website. Websites can be used for different purposes, such as:
- Marketing, branding, site positioning
- Promotional campaign site
- Transactional sales-oriented site
- Customer service support site
- How to instructional site
- Product or service demonstration site
- Lead generation site
- Viral or buzz creation site
Who your target market is?
What type of visitor to your website are you trying to attract? I come across many small to medium businesses that don't have a clear definition of who their target customer is. The clearer the understanding you have, the easier it will be for you to connect with your target audience and the more successful your website will be. If your website is not clear in what you offer, then it is highly likely you will quickly lose these visitors.
Some businesses are afraid to leave a clear indication of what they offe
Most people have at least one favorite quotation from a famous or not-so-famous person. Some people collect them like baseball cards, figurines or classic cars. You can find hundreds of websites featuring quotations, thousands of sites with a favorite quotes page, and many collections in any bookstore you walk into. All of this proves that quotations are popular. What may be less evident to you is exactly how you can use them to improve you life and your results.Below is a list of eleven ways you can do just that!Use when journaling. My Grandmother kept a diary, and so does my mother. Fewer people call them diaries now, and more call them journals. It really doesn’t matter what you call them. If you spend time writing each day, you can use a quotation to relate to your activities for the day, record what you have been thinking about, or to help you with your writing in general.Share at work. You can use quotations whether you are the boss or anyone on the team. Post a new quote on your door, on the bulletin board in the coffee roo
Planning
Define the purpose of your website.
What do you want your website to achieve for you? It is important that you clearly understand the purpose of your own website. Websites can be used for different purposes, such as:
- Marketing, branding, site positioning
- Promotional campaign site
- Transactional sales-oriented site
- Customer service support site
- How to instructional site
- Product or service demonstration site
- Lead generation site
- Viral or buzz creation site
Who your target market is?
What type of visitor to your website are you trying to attract? I come across many small to medium businesses that don't have a clear definition of who their target customer is. The clearer the understanding you have, the easier it will be for you to connect with your target audience and the more successful your website will be. If your website is not clear in what you offer, then it is highly likely you will quickly lose these visitors.
Some businesses are afraid to leave a clear indication of what they offe
Although it may seem like a new word, the term e-business was hatched back in 1997, making it no spring chicken. Considering the fact that it describes an entirely new way of conducting business, however, it is safe to say that it’s still in its early stages of use. With every turn of the page you’ll see the term defined in a different way, shape or form. Perhaps this is because it describes such a large scope of processes, ranging from sending out a newsletter to selling an Audi online. So, what exactly is e-business and what does it mean to the future of a business owner?E-Business Defined The United States Census Bureau defines e-business as "any process that a business organization conducts over a computer mediated network. Business organizations include any for profit, governmental, non-profit entity. Their processes include production-, customer-, and internal or management-focused business processes." In a shorter broader sense, e-business is the process of conducting business electronically or over the internet. Electronic mail is e-
Who your target market is?
What type of visitor to your website are you trying to attract? I come across many small to medium businesses that don't have a clear definition of who their target customer is. The clearer the understanding you have, the easier it will be for you to connect with your target audience and the more successful your website will be. If your website is not clear in what you offer, then it is highly likely you will quickly lose these visitors.
Some businesses are afraid to leave a clear indication of what they offe
Number One – Reading from a script. While I strongly recommend writing out an outline of what you want to cover in your podcast it isn’t necessary to read verbatim from a script. When most people try reading directly from a script they wind up sounding like Ben Stein. “Bueller?” It isn’t entertaining and you’ll lose your audience before you even have a chance to get started. So unless you have a background in acting or extemporaneous reading it’s probably a good idea to forgo the script. An easy solution is to make a list of talking points, note cards, or even a more detailed outline of what you intend to say in your podcast. So long as the format leaves room for improvisation it will come across as more friendly and conversational. It may take a few tries to get used to “winging it,” but you’ll sound much better. It’s still advisable to rehearse and edit your podcast whenever possible you not to the point where it sounds too scripted or contrived.Number Two – Sound. While not everyone can afford really slick production values it is important to appear a
Some businesses are afraid to leave a clear indication of what they offer because they are worried about their competitors finding out information about them. Your competitors can easily find this information out anyway if they choose to, and all you are really doing is losing potential customers as they leave your website because they are not clear about what you are offering.
Take the time to look at some websites that you like--and don't like. Write down what appeals to you and what doesn't. Use these points to refine your website.
Does your website portray the same message as the rest of your marketing? Often businesses forget that a website is a part of the overall marketing mix, communicating who you are, what you do, and why you do it better than your competitor. Marketing is also about branding, and positioning your business. If this is done properly you will stand out from the crowd. Does your website honestly reflect this? Make sure that your website is consistent with the rest of your marketing mix.
Marketing your website
Do you want to attract business through the search engines? This may seem a simple question, but many people think it is enough to build a website and the traffic will come. I come across people all the time that still think that being found through the search engines is not important, only to find six months down the track how important it really is.
A recent client approached us to add the finishing touches to their e-commerce site. During this process, one of the questions I asked was, how they were planning to market their site as it was purely an online selling tool with no 'bricks-and-mortar' business associated with it. The response was; "I don't know, I thought I
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