Using Your Web Site to Advertise Your Business

You can't hide from it. Whether you're driving by a billboard, listening to the radio or flipping through the TV channels, every advertisement has dot.com this and dot.com that.

Even in a lean economy, the evolution of the Internet has business taking a new direction. Now companies need a Web site...even if they aren't involved in e-commerce. But this new wave of marketing still takes some old-school advertising.

Web sites need more than good content. A comprehensive advertising campaign is the only way to make a Web site successful. You not only have to tempt potential customers to buy from you but you have to tempt them to buy from you NOW!

There are several key factors you must consider to accomplish this:

What benefits does the customer get from buying the product? Does your product or service make people smarter, faster, more attractive?

State the benefits. And again.

It's the benefits that will hook your customer. And that hook will have them grabbing their credit card. But if they don't know what's in it for them, they'll be on your competitor's Web site faster than you can clear your cache files.

Keep your site updated. And give them a reason to come back.

Maybe weekly specials, new articles or post a newsletter. Make your site an invaluable resource. Giving people incentives to come back to your site can still generate sales even if the customer wasn't in the buying mood.

Do you have testimonials from your customers? Testimonials prove your product's worth as well as establish your company's credibility.

If you don't have testimonials, one way to get them is by donating your product or service to a few qualified customers. Let them know that you're giving them the product to try for a certain amount of time in exchange for their comments at the end of the trial period.

Make your Web page as easy to read as possible. Grab customers with powerful headlines.

The headlines gently ease customers to read further into your sales message without the tact of a used car salesman trying to unload a few lemons.

Headlines also break up the flow of copy, making your Web page easy on the eyes - something your customers will appreciate.

How many Web sites have you visited with grammatical errors or words misspelled? It looks unprofessional and makes would-be customers wonder about the professionalism of your company.

Proofread your Web page copy. Then have a few more people proofread it.

The writing needs to jump off the page. Fresh. Crisp. A poorly written Web page is worse than not having a Web page at all.

Following these tips will make your Web site informative and profitable. If you're a business owner wanting to develop a Web site, you can contract out the writing portion to a professional freelance copywriter.