BrightCite:
Is your small business prepared for the arrival of the virtual marketplace? For years I’ve been telling all who would listen how strategic use of the web is a critical small business asset. I’ve been met with many glazed eyes and blank stares from small business people who just don’t get it.
Too bad - because the clock is ticking for the small business person who is web-illiterate and who still thinks about and uses a website as only an online brochure.
It’s going to be a rough road ahead for small businesses not actively seeking to build online assets and who lack a basic understanding of how business works on the web.
On the flip side, proactive small business owners who see the Internet as an opportunity for a business building investment will be rewarded with an exceptional rate of return on time, money and resources.
Are you actively educating, positioning and preparing yourself and biz to profit from the power of the Internet? Where do you stand?
Quick Audit
Answering yes to the questions below indicates you are positioning yourself to build online assets that will serve you and your business well in the years ahead:
1. You have a dedicated domain name for your website and e-mail (www.yourbusiness.comyourbusiness.com) skills.
2. You have a strategic plan for your website http://www.brightcite.com/ideal-web-solutions-for/for-small-business that ends with tangible results. These results are based on visitors taking specific actions like calling, e-mailing, registering and downloading information from you.
3. You see analytics information at least weekly, that tracks how many people visited your site, what they clicked on and how they found you. You use this information to improve the strategic results of your website over time.
4. You understand the basics of Search Engine Optimization http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization and have identified the keywords potential customers are likely to type into a search engine to find you.
5. You understand what a blog is and how it works for business (just as you understand the news media and PR). You have left a comment on a blog.
6. You have a basic understanding of what RSS is and have used a feed reader before. You know how it’s used to subscribe to and organize video, audio, blogs and other web content.
7. You have visited MySpace, YouTube, LinkedIn, Flickr and SecondLife to familiarize yourself with social networking, Web 2.0 and network effects that govern an emerging virtual marketplace.
8. You know what a Podcast is and have listened to one.
9. You know what a widget is.
10. You have given thought to how the web is changing the rules of your business and assessed how it complements your business strengths and exploits your weaknesses. You are actively exploring the online opportunities and threats to your business.
The more questions you answered ‘no’ to, the less prepared you are for the rapidly approaching future. On the other hand - there has never been a better time to start increasing your online business knowledge and skills.
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