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