Creating Big Online Brands - Compete with the big guys online.

Creating Big Online Brands - Your small business can compete with the big guys online
by Doug Shuman

Summary: Here's a little piece of online marketing wisdom that might just be the most valuable thing you hear all year ... with a good, professional website your business can easily compete with the big guys in your industry. The power lies in the quality of your site - and it's not difficult to create a site that looks great and offers customers the information they need in a clear, easy to digest way. With a site like this, your online brand can make your customers see you in a whole new light.

The Web Levels The Playing Field For Small Businesses To Compete
Every day, the business headlines focus on large Fortune 500 companies, but as you probably already know, the true engine driving the U.S. economy is overwhelmingly small businesses. And, thanks to technology, for the first time in history small businesses had the capability to create a brand and compete - particularly online - on the same level as larger, more established companies.

As you build your company's first website, or even more importantly, you're planning a redesign and update of your existing site, your number one priority is designing a professional, polished website. It may sound like common sense, but online, your website is your business. When potential customers visit your site, they will develop an opinion about your business - not based on the service or product that you actually provide - but based on the appearance of your website.

With common web tools, templates, or affordable website design services, your website can put you on the same level with your competitors - even competitors with much larger staffs and experience.

Appearances Matter
As you've always heard, appearances matter - both offline and online. So, how do you figure out the type of site you want or what your redesign should look like? First, you should check out the competitors in your field. But, be aware, their site may also be starting to show its age...don't stop here. If you're selling something online or creating an ecommerce site, check out the top ecommerce sites online - Amazon.com, Buy.com, Red Envelope, and many others. Again, there's no reason that you can't aspire to build a site that will look and feel just as big as some of those companies. You're a small business, but with the web, you don't have to "look" small.

Make notes about the things you like and dislike. And try to figure out what elements appeal to you about the sites that you really like. You don't have to have a degree in visual design to figure out what looks professional and what doesn't. As you finalize the design of your site, you should almost always err on a design that's professional vs. personal. It may be tempting to add "homey" touches to your site - colored backgrounds, prominent photos of your family and friends, etc.. If you're tempted to add those elements to your sites, take a few moments and revisit those top, professional sites that you reviewed during your design process. If they don't include the "personal" touches you're considering adding to your site, then you should follow their example. Keep your website focused on your business, and share family photos, funny videos with friends and family on a strictly personal web site - separate from your small business's online destination.

It's absolutely okay to develop a unique, web personality for you and your business. But, as noted above, throughout the design process continually remind yourself that your website is the first impression that someone will have of your business - and what you're selling.

Finally, remember that despite the huge growth in high-speed internet connectivity, there are still potential customers signing on with a dial-up connection. And, more and more people are surfing the web on mobile devices. If you're tempted to add a resource intensive graphic or applications on your home page, keep in mind this could limit the potential customers that can view your site. For these potential customers that's the equivalent of putting up a "Closed" sign on the front page of your site.

With a little planning and research the possibilities of what your business can do online are endless. I love to see the innovative ways our small business customers have created their online brands. Now it's time for you to get to work ... and I can't wait to see the site that you're dreaming about and planning.

Just like the postman, the weather can't stop us!

Well I am trapped at home today and working from my dungeon office. I can't believe I use to work down hear everyday! But it isn't the space surrounding a man that makes him, rather the small space between his ears.

My 13 year old son, 7 year old daughter and 9 month old baby girl are trapped here as well and I am convinced that there will be blood soon. I told my kids that their learning to get along and in-fighting was a preparation for marriage someday, my 7 year old daughter said, "I'm not marrying him!" I must remember to speak less esoterically around that one. She can be so literal.

Anyway, not even the cruddy road conditions and bitter cold can keep me from innovating and growing the business. Besides taking care of all the little things that come up through out the day, via phone, email, etc. I have taken advantage of not having walk in traffic to further develop the new services we are rolling out. I just added a proofreader to my talent pool and we are also now accepting Credit & Debit Cards for payment.

I am too close to the projects I am working on to be an effective proofreader and since we are usually working on a tight time frame, mistakes are a natural side effect. Because of this, I have added Gail Johnson to our team. Gail has over twenty years of proofreading experience. She has worked preparing and proofing legal documents for most of her life and the attention to detail and patients that one must have to work in that sector make her more than qualified for the position. Plus she graduated third in her class, and was a standout when it came to grammatical studies. She will be available to help review web site projects as well as printed pieces.

Going above the competition and offering our customers the highest level of service is how I have built my company and this seems like the next logical step. To create pieces that are as professional and error free as possible. This will cost me more, but it will give my client's just one more advantage over their competition, which is our ultimate goal.

As to taking credit cards, again this was something that many of our customers have asked for and we want to give our client's a chance to select a payment option that is most convenient for them. Our invoices will now included a credit card area that you can fill out and send to us, or we can take credit/debit cards in person at our office or over the phone. We can also send you an on-line invoice to pay on-line.

We hope you find our additions helpful and that even in this dismal weather we can brighten your day!

Thanks again,
Terri Miller

Clarity is the New Creativity

In the language of academics:
The central executive of working memory is the new battleground for marketers. Writers are successfully surprising Broca, thereby gaining the momentary attention of the public, but an absence of salience remains.

In the language of newscasters:
Are your ads gaining the attention of the public but failing to get results? Find out why and learn exactly what you can do about it. Stay tuned for complete details. (Insert commercial break here.)

In the language of the street:
Ads have gotten more creative, but they haven’t gotten more convincing. This sucks for advertisers and the public isn’t helped by it, either.

In the language of clarity:
Can your product be differentiated?
Can you point out that difference quickly?
Can you explain why the difference matters?
This is effective marketing.

To differentiate your product powerfully and clearly:

1. See it though the eyes of the public. (Insiders have too much knowledge.)
2. Ignore everything that doesn’t matter.
3. Focus on what the public actually cares about.
4. Say it in the fewest possible words.
5. Close the loopholes by anticipating the customer’s unspoken questions.

Roy H. Williams