| 1. Size does not equate to competencePeople | | | | achieve. If well conceived, it will guide you on the |
| sometimes assume a company with more money, | | | | specific things to do - daily, weekly etc - in order to |
| employees, office space etc will be more capable than | | | | leverage your website to get the intended |
| one with less. This is not necessarily correct. In fact | | | | results.Without a web marketing strategy, you will soon |
| much smaller businesses (or individuals) if they apply | | | | find yourself struggling to justify the money you have |
| themselves intelligently/effectively, are often likely to be | | | | spent(and will spend) to keep your website online. I'll be |
| able to deliver better quality-and more | | | | a bit blunt here. Traditional methods can no longer |
| personalized-services than bigger ones. My advice it | | | | satisfy today's business marketing needs. If you do not |
| that you get authentic proof of competence in form of | | | | have a web marketing strategy, your business WILL |
| past web design projects (website addresses) the | | | | become extinct - and that's putting it mildly too!One of |
| individual or company you want to choose has | | | | the many performance metrics currently used by |
| handled. Go one step further, if possible and request | | | | serious business website owners is the Website |
| for client contact details so as to verify the claims | | | | Conversion Ratio(WCR) computed by dividing the total |
| made.2. Do they have a business philosophy that | | | | number of visitors to your website by the number of |
| protects you, the client?Customers naturally often | | | | those visitors who eventually take action subsequently |
| complain about unreliable service providers -including | | | | to do business with you. The WCR will vary from one |
| Internet-related service providers. The "newness" of | | | | website/industry to the other. For instance on the net a |
| the website concept sometimes can lead to uninitiated | | | | typical target WCR is about 3.0% - which means for |
| business owners getting less than they pay for. For | | | | every 100 visitors to your site, you will expect only |
| instance, websites could be built with little or no effort | | | | about 3 persons to eventually do business with |
| made - by the designer - to help the owner | | | | you.This is why you must have a good marketing |
| understand how to use it to reduce advertising | | | | strategy to ensure that only the "right" visitors(i.e who |
| marketing expenses while increasing sales leads | | | | fit the "profile" of your target audience) visit your site. |
| generation. Such costumers would subsequently lose | | | | The "right" visitors will constitute your "pre-qualified |
| faith in the use of websites for low cost, high impact | | | | target audience" i.e people already interested in what |
| marketing saying "It doesn't work!". Ask the designer | | | | your website offers. A web marketing strategy |
| for details of what they will do for you, to help your | | | | makes more of the "right" people visit your site giving |
| website succeed, that others will not. Use the | | | | you a greater chance of getting contacted by more of |
| responses you get to compare with others you are | | | | your potential customers, so you get a chance to |
| considering - it will not be difficult to identify who is | | | | "close the sale" and record an increased WCR. |
| offering you the most tangible benefits.3. What can | | | | Another way of looking at the WCR is by seeing it as |
| they do to make managing your site easy and | | | | a measure of what I like to call the Return On Your |
| convenient for you?Is the individual or company you | | | | Investment(ROYI) in a business website.One Analogy: |
| are considering willing to (search for and) incorporate | | | | A website featuring a product that makes hair grow |
| useful tools/resources(e.g. relevant and appropriate | | | | on bald heads will not interest a person who regularly |
| automation) that will equip your website to deliver the | | | | visits the barber for a full hair cut! The process |
| results you want at less cost, in less time and using | | | | involved in developing a web marketing strategy will |
| less resources? Ask them for examples of useful | | | | help you craft marketing messages that make those |
| automation they have setup on websites-and specific | | | | who NEED your product or service recognize the |
| ones they can adapt to suit your biz needs.Without the | | | | unique benefit your website offers - and therefore |
| intelligent integration of appropriate automation on a | | | | subsequently visit it.The above is not an exhaustive list. |
| website, the challenge of using the website to achieve | | | | I have only highlighted four of the most important |
| increased business productivity will, over time become | | | | issues which if properly addressed should make your |
| overwhelming. The website should make it cheaper | | | | adoption of a web designer end up making you look |
| and easier to put information about your business in | | | | good in the long term. You might want to visit the and |
| front of a wider range of prospects almost | | | | type the question "How to choose a good web |
| effortlessly. Website automation using server-sider | | | | designer to build my website" or a similar query. You |
| custom CGI(Common Gateway Interface) scripting is | | | | will come up links to other useful articles written on the |
| one of the most common and effective ways to do | | | | subject. If you think you're too busy, get someone to |
| this. Ask your prospective web designer if s/he is | | | | do it for you. The time you spend on this preparatory |
| conversant with the use of this technology - or has | | | | stage could save you from making costly |
| reliable access to someone who does. If you get a | | | | mistakes!Tayo Solagbade devotes his time to |
| "No", MAKE SURE you find someone else who can | | | | exploring new frontiers of Self-Development Education, |
| take care of that aspect.4. Do they have a web | | | | especially as it relates to showing people what they |
| marketing strategy for you?This is the most important | | | | can do by themselves for themselves to achieve their |
| one. A competent web designer must demonstrate | | | | set goals at work and/or in life - despite the limitations |
| the willingness to study(and aptitude to understand) | | | | of their circumstances or environment. In a previous life, |
| your business - including the goals you aim to achieve. | | | | Tayo worked for over seven years as a manager in |
| Most importantly s/he must be able to tell you - in | | | | Guinness Nigeria Plc during which time he successfully |
| simple, non-technical English - how the website can be | | | | employed Self-Development techniques to give himself |
| used to further your business goals and objectives. So, | | | | a consistent edge as Brewer, and later Technical |
| ask if s/he has a Web Marketing Strategy in mind to | | | | Training and Development Manger. To play this role |
| enable you maximise the Returns On Your Investment | | | | effectively, Tayo functions as a multipreneur to |
| in the website. If s/he struggles to answer, be very | | | | explore, discover and document best practice ways of |
| worried.What is a Web Marketing Strategy?A web | | | | successfully venturing into various areas of |
| marketing strategy is basically a step-by-step plan(that | | | | endeavour.Visit to download a FREE Chapter Preview |
| should be developed) based on an understanding of | | | | of his NEW book "Ten Ways You Can Use |
| the ultimate purpose you intend to use your website to | | | | Self-Development To Become A High Flyer At Work". |