This article is not really designed for those of you whose business is comfortably up and running and have websites and other active online resources. Rather, it is for the new business start ups with more interest in doing a job or providing a service, than monkeying around with the administrative end of running a business. Often, there are one or two business owners trying to make a go of a new business idea, working for themselves, but not familiar with the ever changing internet options at their disposal. If that describes you, welcome to today's blog:
You need to let the world, or at least your community, know that you have that product or service. The internet has become the way businesses do that, but you may be unsure how, where and what they do. Below I have listed some suggestions. If you prefer to have someone else do it for you, give me a call and we can discuss what you can afford, and don't assume you need a lot of money to get started!
First, do you have a website? These days, websites are very reasonable in cost, and more user friendly than they used to be. A quick Google search shows sites like "GoDaddy" offering an economy package starting very low in cost. "gybo.com" has some free benefits for the first year. The latest thing is to have your website available to mobile users (such as mobile phones, Ipads, etc), so you might want that to be an option when you select a website provider.
Second, is networking. You can do that in person, and you can now do that online. Sites such as "Linked In" and "Merchant Circle" are designed for business people to connect with others. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Bebo and Google Plus have become big players in sharing your business information. People who once pooh-poohed some of these resources suddenly have pages and accounts with them. Don't underestimate the power of social media sites.
Next, I want to suggest more visual sites, such as Pinterest and YouTube. Pinterest is a place you can "pin" pictures for others to see and share. What a great idea if you have a product to show off! YouTube is a place to share videos, which you can make yourself or have made, to talk about your product or services. Many people are visual and hate pages like this one I am making right now- reading is not nearly as stimulating as seeing and hearing about a product or service.
So, if you have read this far, you have the staying power you will need to make your business successful. May I offer one word of advice as I close: Perseverance!
Thank you for visiting our blog today!
Friday, February 8, 2013
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