Home Business

Using Pros to Craft Your Web Presence

And what about your web page? There are several basic functions you will need to cover when you have a web presence, and it is very rare to find one person who has all of these skills. However, you should be able to find

• Webmasters, who have the technical know-how to create and maintain the site you want. Some might only create the site, leaving you to go elsewhere for maintenance.

• Web designers, who are more concerned with how the site looks (from a graphic design perspective).

• Web marketers, who can help you drive traffic to your website, and get it noticed.

• Web hosts, of course, merely keep your site on display on the Internet. Because of the many specialties needed, you might have a webmaster who consults with your marketing person and graphic designer (to keep your website focused on your message and to give it the same look and feel as your printed materials, respectively). Covering all the duties involved is more important than what a person might call himself.

Marketing You and Your Business is very important.

One of the more interesting questions I get is the question, “How do you market yourself?” or “How do you market your business?” Perhaps the question itself isn’t as interesting as the implications that go along with it. The person asking the question is awaiting my answer, expecting it to be succinct. He is hoping to find the one silver bullet that will kill the need for any constant marketing efforts, the one-step, easy routine to riches. Usually, he is disappointed. I tell him to think of a dozen ways to market himself, and I have probably tried them (and gotten clients from most). No, Virginia, there is no microwave dinner style solution to marketing. But this is a good thing. Most of the time, you don’t have to pursue a lot of options that just don’t fit your business or your personality. (There’s one big exception here; most marketing requires getting in front of people sooner or later. But just about everything else is negotiable.) first, let’s look at some basic, tried and true marketing ideas that every business can benefit from.

You’ll need list for marketing you and your home business.

- Address book/Rolodex listing of business contacts, associates, friends

- Computer and word processing software

- Business plan

- Calendar

Slow Frying Fish: Understanding that Marketing Takes Time

Yes, marketing is a special kind of slow frying fish. You have to grab the fish out of the pond today and throw it into the pan, so you will have fish to eat next month, next season, and next year.

Sometimes the toughest part of this process is that, when you are sitting in your office with a quiet phone and clean paper and a blank computer screen, it’s tough to get going. After all, what’s one day spent playing solitaire (or Tomb Raider or Pro Skater 4)? Plenty. This could be the day you were destined to catch a very large fish. That’s why you need to flesh out the Marketing section of your business plan. You’re going to come up with a list of things you can do, and put them both in your business plan and on your calendar. You’re only allowed to move them off your calendar if client work or a bona fide emergency crops up (with bona fide emergencies generally involving police, fire, or hospital personnel). This is something you need to do. And you need to keep doing it for as long as you own your business.

To do list for Marketing Your Work From Home Business:

- Draft or revise your marketing plan.
- Make a list of everyone you know.
- Write your introductory business letter and send it to your list.