Your website is the number one marketing resource for your business. But far too many small business owners aren’t using this important online real estate to its full potential. With the wrong approach, your website goes from a marketing asset to a liability.
Even if you’re not a web designer, you can follow a few basic principles (and get the right help) to make your website all that it should be. Here are five critical website mistakes that you need to fix immediately:
- Working with no plan.You know you need a website – but do you know why? If you’re just throwing up a few pages and hoping for the best, you’re missing out on valuable opportunities and potential clients. You have to work with a plan and decide what you want your website to do. Is it a gateway to purchasing your package or system? Is it a way to show off your credibility? Is it a platform to develop thought leadership in your industry? Its okay if it’s a little of all three, but you need to decide what you want your website to do so you can develop a cohesive plan.
If you think about the way you make purchasing decisions for products and services you'll likely realize that it's the companies that educate you, show you they understand your pain and offer a practical solution that get your attention. And if they make a compelling enough offer, you are likely to part with your hard earned cash to get your hands on what you need.
Love it or hate it, marketing is a necessary part of creating a successful business. If you happen to reside in the "hate it" camp, it could be because you feel like marketing means you have to be pushy, sales-y or fake. We've all had the experience of having someone try to "sell" us and it doesn't feel good.
I recently reviewed my client list over the past 18 months to see where my clients had come from so that I could fine tune my marketing efforts. You see, Smart Simple Marketing is not about doing more. It's not about doing the "latest and greatest thing". It about doing what works and doing that consistently. 
Marketing a service business will inquire an investment of your time and financial resources. What if you don't have a lot of money to spend on marketing? Now what? Does that mean you simply cannot market your service business and your only hope is waiting on the sidelines for someone to hire you? Not at all! Today is the day you learn that marketing a service business with a minimal budget is not only possible, it's easier than you think.
Small business marketing is not only necessary to your success as an entrepreneur, it's easier than you think. Statistics say your small business has a 1 in 6 chance of survival, but without effective, ongoing marketing, your odds are far less than that. Utilize proven small business marketing strategies that will let you spread the word about your business quickly and get in front of the right people.
Practical marketing solutions are necessary to build a successful business. As a solopreneur, you don't have a full-fledged marketing department at your disposal. You need some practical marketing solutions to grow your business without exhausting all of your time or money.
"Within the first month of working with Sydni, I secured contracts for $14,000... and I don’t have any of the other insecurities that a lot of new businesses have."