Small business owners and professionals make two major mistakes in thinking. The first is thinking that they have a website which means they have an Internet business. The second is that Search Engine Marketing (SEO) and everything that goes with it will put their business on automatic. Both concepts are correct, at least in part, and both concepts are wrong in part.
The Internet is constantly changing and changing progressively faster each year. Sometimes I think that if I haven’t figured out a particular program, not to worry because it will change and I’ll have to learn it over again anyway.
The point I want to make is before you dive into the internet strategies, or while you are knee deep in internet strategies, you need to step back and put the Internet marketing portion of your business into perspective. You need to see how it fits into the larger world of your business. Understanding how traditional business evolves will give you some idea of where Internet marketing and business is going and how it’s changing. For instance, it is more evident than ever before that the major goal of Internet business, just as in traditional business, is to make a profit. How the profits are made, at least in part, is the major difference.
You also need to understand the current state of doing business online in general and of your online presence. All of this is critical to your long term success because if you don’t, big business is likely to close your doors because with their resources, they can be miles ahead of you. As a small business, however, you have something very special to offer your clients because of your flexibility and personal contact.
This leads me to the one ingredient that is common to traditional business and doing business online which is building relationships with your clients and intended customers and clients. You can have keywords embedded up to the whazoo, geographic locations for search engines to catch, and great sales letters that persuade but they won’t keep your business or your practice going for the long run. A new patient may visit you or a new customer may purchase your floor cleaner or hire you to fix the leaky toilet, but if you don’t establish some kind of professional or neighborly relationship with them, they just won’t stick around for the second visit.
If you’re thinking about starting an Internet Business you are in the best of times and it is exiting. The problem is there is so much to offer you and you need to make some very important decisions. What business will you start is the major question. More on that in my next post. I have a definite opinion and it doesn’t agree with most of the gurus.
If you are struggling with getting started as an Internet presence, type your concern or problem in the comment box and I will get back with you.
To your success.
Ruthan Brodsky
Copywriter and Content Marketer
