Put Your Best Face Forward
Your customers have very little to judge you by. Therefore, those few items which they do have become supremely important. Your business name, domain name, letterhead, promotional materials, business cards and other items speak volumes about your company. What do they say?

Here's a personal example. I was traveling in another state this past month when I noticed that my gas gauge was dangerously low. The only service station in view had a clown for a logo. I passed it by hoping that another service station would present itself. When my passenger asked why I didn't stop at the first station I replied, "I'm not going to buy gas at a station with a clown logo." It wasn't a conscious decision, but in my head I decided that I didn't trust that station. Further, I was willing to risk running out of gas rather than go against that initial judgment. When your customers see your logo, business card or web site, will they just move on?

In addition, make certain that any contact that you have with customers is professional. Respond quickly to email inquiries. Answer your phone professionally. One of the tremendous advantages of doing business on the Internet is even if your business is home-based, your customer need not be aware of that. However, if I call a business phone number I get off the Internet and a child answers, that person will lose a customer right then and there.

What Is Your Product?
Spell it out. You know what you're selling, whether it's a product or service, but do your customers? On a piece of paper, write down exactly what you are offering. Be honest with yourself about the features, benefits and shortcomings of your offering. Look at your web site and other promotional materials. Are they effectively selling your product? Get someone who hasn't seen your web site before to look at it. Then, ask him what you are selling. If the answer surprises you, change your site. Make your offering very clear and strengthen your shortcomings to insure that more visitors will become customers.

Who Is Your Customer?
You now know what you are selling. Now, who will be buying? Where will your marketing efforts be most effective? Are you marketing to a local, national or global audience? Again, be realistic. Who is your primary target audience? Where will those people who are seeking your product or service go to find it? Will they be searching the Internet, the yellow pages, or other sources? Perhaps your customers don't yet know that they need your product. Do not forget traditional promotion methods when promoting your web site!

Your web site is not an advertising vehicle. It is a great delivery medium. In other words, advertise your web site. Don't try to use your web site as an advertisement. Take ScrapbookUtopia.com for example:

"When we first started we did about 6 months of advertising in a national scrapbooking magazine - a very small ad. Since then, we have done no advertising at all." What was the result? A panic - more business than they could handle at first. So they grew to accommodate it. They also work to keep those customers. "We rely on word of mouth, we have links with a number of compatible sites, and we are on 12 search engines. But I think the biggest way that we draw business is through the email database. We have a guest book on our homepage. And we do a broadcast email to the entire list every week...and, you know, the hits just keep on comin'!" Their site went from almost no hits to over 15,000 total hits in March of this year. That's effective promotion!

Distribute Your Domain Name(URL)
Look for every opportunity to get your domain name out there. Is your web site your primary store front? Then name your business "whatever.com" on your business license. Put it on your checks. When one of our EZ-NetTools users launched his site, he put a huge yellow sign above his brick and mortar store that read, "LDSImports.com". It got everyone in town curious. Display your domain name prominently in advertisements, business cards and other promotional material. In EZ-NetTools you can use EZ-LinkTrader to develop link exchanges with related (not competing) web sites. If you sell hot dogs, for example, create a link exchange with a hot dog bun vendor. There are thousands of news groups out there. Are any related to your industry? Become a part of these groups, answer questions as appropriate and include your domain name in your signature. Again, DO NOT SPAM! But even something as simple as using an email address "you@whatever.com" can get any number of people to your site. Be creative. Use traditional and non-traditional means to get your domain name out there!

Conclusion
The secret to successful site promotion doesn't start with search engines. That is an important part and we will talk about that next month. However, too many e-businesses out there are neglecting the basics. For effective web site promotion, your business must first reflect a professional image. You must know what you are offering and who your customer is. With that in mind, you must use EVERY means of promotion - not just search engines! In particular, you should take advantage of those advertising mediums which will most effectively reach your target market. These can include trade magazines, local newspapers, and any number of other marketing vehicles. It is time for all e-business owners out there to re-think the way they are promoting their sites.