When it comes to  internet marketing you have to enter a brand new state of mind! I have come to realize that upgrading your website technology is just the tip of the iceberg!

In the many discussions I’ve had with various entrepreneurs, I have realized several things:

1) Almost everyone is by now aware that the face of internet marketing and the role of the business website is changing.  No longer is the static online brochure optimizing their chances of creating new business.  They find words like “tweeting“, “SEO“, “Web 2.0“, “viral and social marketing” creeping into their vocabulary.

2) Most have come to the realization that a force larger than themselves is calling them to “doing something about it”.   Yet they are daunted, even terrified by the overwhelming task that lies ahead.

3) Then there are those who outwardly, downright refuse to do dive into that nebulous world, but secretly know that they too will eventually succumb to Facebook, LinkedIn and God forbid…Twitter.

4) But what they are all beginning to realize to some degree or other is just how huge a shift this technology is creating.  I shift that will not only change the face of the markets they are in, but how they conduct business and even what that business can and will become!  Remember what it was like before mobile devices?  Bigger than that!


So where do we start? When I sit down with new clients I ask the following questions:

• Do you have a website?  Is it interactive?
  • Can you blog and routinely update your site?
  • Does it capture emails?
  • Does it have built-in autoresponders? (i.e. everytime you update your site, an email is automatically sent to notify your subscribers)
  • Can you easily embed video, audio, photography?
• What is your passion? Your message?
• What is your product or service?
• Can it be translated to digital content?

These days if you’re runnning a business, not to overstate the obvious, but you need a website, landing page, squeeze page, some sort of online presence that screams “I’m legitimate!”  And not just any ol’ website, it really needs to be professional looking and include the following content:

• Your Mission, Passion, Goals!
• Personal stamp, who you are, your personality.
• Free, Informative, Quality Content!
• Call to action, Call to action and Call to action!

Once we can pinpoint these things we can work our way backwards and begin to strategize how to approach the role and functionality of your website.  First, we think about content and the best vehicle for online delivery.

Now remember, it’s a whole new world online!  It’s the realm of YouTube and the instant news feed!  We have to start thinking outside  the box.  Ok, well what the heck does that actually MEAN??  One of my favorite things to do with my clients is to brainstorm about all the cool fun ways they can use Web 2.0 technology to promote themselves!

Singer/Songwriter: I remember discussing Web 2.0 with a woman who wanted to virally market her next music CD.  Her biggest arguement against blogging and updating her website was that she absolutely did not, under any circumstances have the TIME!  She didn’t want to write every day, every week or even every month.  She only wanted to write music and practice.  She hadn’t realized that if she simply recorded a video log (vlog) once or twice every week of herself practicing and post it on her site!  Not only would her fans eat it up, they would most likely want to share it with their friends as well!  She could use her site to get her fans reactions before the CD is produced.

Home Hospice: This couple has a regional business outside of Seattle and they wanted their site to become more interactive to bring more people to their business in that area.  Then the wife says she HATES writing and was just no good at it. But she LOVES talking to her clients and their families!  We started playing around with the idea of a vlog, recording the oral histories of their clients!  So many wonderful stories and rich history to share!  This also opens up possibilities from a regional to a worldwide arena!

Video is a powerful tool! Sharing videos is one of the fastest ways to market yourself to the greatest amount of people in the least amount of time!  Remember Susan Boyle from “Britain’s Got Talent”?  As of today, from April 11, 2009 she has over 64,559,968 views on YouTube!!  That still kinda blows my mind!

We need to think differently about our online content.  Whether it’s video, written blogs, photos, audio recordings etc, ask yourself…What do I do in my daily life that can easily be recorded and shared if posted it on my site?  What related events do I attend that I could report on?  What products or books do I use or read that my customers would appreciate a professional review?

In my next blog I will highlight some of my favorite WordPress interactive tools that you can use in your site to help promote your business!

Thanks for visiting!  Please let me know if you would like to hear more about any particular subject.  Otherwise feel free to subscribe to the site to stay updated on the latest posts.  Or for a free website consultation you can email me at jenn@webhead20.com.

Take care!

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