1 Get a great website Don’t skimp on this one and get one designed by your wiz kid nephew or your neighbor because it is cheap. You will regret it later when it is not doing what it is supposed to do.

• Sit down and think about your goal with this website. Is it selling, informing, or something else? Whatever it is, attracting customers will probably be one of the main goals, so ensure that whatever the design is, it will do just that.
• And remember, prettiness is silver, but performance is gold.

2 Host with somebody you trust You don’t want to go with just anyone. Image what would happen if they drop off the face of the earth and you can’t access your website anymore. Have it designed by a reliable company that:

• Really listens
• Facilitates frequent updates and changes
• Offers a variety of choices
• Has been around for awhile

3 Gather Email Addresses Do everything you can think of to get ‘in the know’ of your customers email addresses to strengthen the bond with your customers, consider:

• A ‘sign up here for newsletters’ link on your homepage
• Ask customers for their email addresses when they check out
• Match a customer database against email databases, to fetch missing emails
• Organize sweepstakes, where people participate by signing up for your newsletter

4 Optimize for organic search Your website can be a true piece of art, but if nobody finds their way to it, it is not doing what it is supposed to. Update your site frequently and make sure your website developer/designer:

• Ensures all background stuff in your website functions properly to allow search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo to find your website

5 Set up Search Advertising Ranking high in the organic search results of search engines is great. Yet the lay out of search engine results always starts with sponsored links. This means that:

• People who search for your stuff will first see ads from competitors
• They may be lured away by the enticing offers and promises these competitors make and consequently may never make it to scroll down to your website. Is that what you want?

Setting up search advertising requires some time, yet can be really worth it. Trust us; the amount of visitors to your website will sky rocket with dazzling speed.

6 Email relevant stuff to your customers: Come up with a vision for your email marketing. What is your style; how often is right, and how often is too much? It’s a question only you can answer; you know your customers best. Ensure :

• You are only sending stuff that matters to your customers; you don’t want to annoy them with yet another irrelevant email
• Free stuff always works well. Sweepstakes and special promotions too
• Be authentic; find your style and stick to it. Is it formal, or witty? If it’s the latter; consider adding something funny to your emails, to keep things light and digestible

7 Create a Facebook, Twitter or Blog: Make it easy for people to relate to your business. Include personal things, like posting about somebody’s 10 year anniversary of working at the store, as well as promotions. And again; people appreciate free and funny stuff, so try to incorporate something free or funny that connects to your brand, your products and your business.

8 Integrate your marketing The more recognition, the more validation and the more you come across as professional and consequently, reliable.

• If you have a TV commercial, make sure your website is listed
• The same goes for radio commercials, direct mail pieces, etc.
• Show the TV commercial on your website
• Include a link to your Facebook and use the same images and graphics on your website to ensure brand consistency
• Ensure the main styles for all promotions are professional and streamlined to create recognition for your customers

9 Make one person the Online Marketer Everything that gets attention, grows. It works with customers, employees and online marketing. Give this person the sole responsibility of ensuring your business is properly marketed online.

• Discuss how much time this person should invest every week
• What his roles and responsibilities are
• Follow up frequently to ensure you are on the same page
• Evaluate often and discuss statistics to verify what type of marketing is working well and which campaigns need some tweaking.

10 Have fun! Life is short; take a deep breath, relax and remember to have fun! Online Marketing:

• Is a fabulous way of trying out all sorts of initiatives
• Is new and exiting and really flexible
• Offers thousands of opportunities and is cost effective

Go try it out! (And don’t hesitate to call us if you need help, we’re always in for fun!)

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