Connecting Your Offline Business to Your Online Business
These may sound like no brainers, but you'd be surprised. No matter how high-tech your business has become, there is no doubt you still have some non-electronic aspects of your company. These are things like your business cards, stickers, and work shirts, to name a few.
Check out your business cards first. These should be at the ready whenever possible. Make sure your website is listed on your card: this is a way for a possible customer to check you out on their own. A good tip is to have your website printed in a font that ensures all of the letters look like letters, rather than numbers. For example, "L" can resemble the number one very easily when typed in lowercase. Stick to fonts that clearly allow the eye to distinguish letters from numbers. Also have your website put on your stationary: it is much easier to check out a website than make a phone call these days.
If someone is calling your voicemail looking for a product, you had better have your website spelt out slowly, and clearly on there too. Not having your website on your voicemail will mean the loss of a sale. Our fast paced world has spoiled us and people want things not now, but five seconds ago. So if your website is not on your message, they will simply forget you, and move on to your competitor. Adding your web address to your voicemail will allow perspective customers to find out about your business while you are making other deals, or watching TV.
Stickers are inexpensive and a great way to catch someone's eye when they are least expecting it. Every single package that leaves my office has a label with my web address on it. I even stick the little guys on my bills. Why not, who knows who will see it? I also put my picture on my shipping label. This is something that is not done often, so it helps me stand apart from the rest. I usually put a little bubble saying "Hi" to you personally, for the extra inch.
Another place to attach your web address to might be your promotional handouts. If you send out an annual flyer, or give away freebies, make sure you web information is on there. Some people do this with give away items like mouse pads, or mugs. These along with the packaging on every product you sell, should have your contact information via the web. If your company wears workshirts, or sponsors a softball team, for example, get your web address on there as well. If you produce it: brand it.
Lastly, if you call my office, and I speak to you on the phone, I can gaurentee I will mention that you should visit my website. This is a tactic that I swear by, because I firmly believe that if I can get you to my site, you will stay and look around for awhile. No matter what it is you are looking for, you are bound to stumble across something else. It's like going to the grocery store for just one thing: you always come out with two.
Tom Antion provides entertaining speeches and educational seminars. He is the ultimate entrepreneur, having owned many businesses BEFORE graduating college. Tom is the author of the best selling presentation skills book "Wake 'em Up Business Presentations" and "Click: The Ultimate Guide to Electronic Marketing." It is important to Tom that his knowledge be not only absorbed, but enjoyed. This is why he delivers his speeches laced with great humor and hysterical jokes. Tom has addressed more than 87 different industries and is thoroughly committed to his client's needs.
More Resources
Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exitingMore Strategic Planning Information:
Related Articles
10 Ways To Make Your Business Unique
1. Largest Selection -One way that you can make your product or service stand out is to offer the largest selection of products, services or programs.
Seasonality: Whats the Big Deal?
Do you work in or own a business that's affected by seasonal cycles? Do you live in a community whose population changes significantly during the year (e.g.
Sample Business Plan Outline
If you are looking for a partner, funding, angle investor or venture capital you will be asked for a business plan. Even if you are not in need of capital in the formation of your new business endeavor you will still be glad you prepared a business plan to help you prove to yourself that you have the right stuff and that the business is economically viable.
Advice To Manufacturers Creating A Business Plan
If you are a manufacturer wanting to use your business plan to attract investors, then your plan must do two things. It must:Comfort prospective investors with putting their money into your hands, andShow why potential customers will award business to you rather than your competitors.
Changing Strategy Without Losing Your Customers - Three Vital Steps to Refining Your Strategy
American Eagle Outfitters and Wet Seal Stores have issued statements about company turnarounds needed to cut sales loses. This kind of story occurs far too often: a business disconnects from their customers because the company either wants to sell to a larger customer base or they want to upgrade to a more prestigious look.
Thinking Like A Farmer
One of the difficulties we face in our industrialized age is the fact we've lost our sense of seasons. Unlike the farmer whose priorities change with the seasons, we have become impervious to the natural rhythm of life.
Vendor Relations Strategies Sample Outline
One of the quintessential parts to any business is your supply chain. To insure that the supplies are there when you need them; in this new day and age of "just in time" distribution where very little sits on warehouse shelves until you order it you will need excellent vendor relations.
The 7 Critical Steps to Formulating Your Annual Strategic Business Plan
Businesses tend to avoid doing their annual business plan thinking that it is an arduous task that does not accomplish much. Formulating your annual plan is, however, critical to your business success and if done correctly should be quick, easy and generate bottom line results.
Cost-cutting Essential to Maintaining Profits
Why cut costs now?
Efforts are multiplying to cut costs wherever possible in order to achieve or preserve high profits. The resulting benefits for all of a company's employees should be obvious.
The Impact of Price Popularity on Profits
The goal of almost every business owner is to generate a profit either for themselves or their shareholders. This can be challenging at best.
The Six Sigma Method and Design of Experiments
Six Sigma is becoming a proven approach for businesses and organizations to
improve their performance. The spectrum of companies actively engaging in Six Sigma today is wide from industrials like Celanese, Caterpillar, GE, Honeywell, and 3M to service/retail organizations like Starwood Hotels, Sears, and Home Depot.
2 Simple Steps Before Starting Your Business
There is so much small business information available today that it's easy to be bogged down by the sheer volume of it all. Where does one start? Well, it's safe to say not all the information you'll receive will be of equal value.
Microsoft Great Plains Implementation: Healthcare/Hospital example - overview for consultant
Microsoft Great Plains fits multiple services market niche and healthcare is not exemption. In the case of Healthcare/Hospital there is usually healthcare patient history tracking system in place and backoffice or accounting application should be integrated on the ongoing basis with the above mentioned system plus often Hospital or association is non-profit organization and non-for-profit accounting specifics should be taken into consideration.
Why Do a Business Plan?
To Grow (Catapult) Your Business That's Why.When it's in your head it's not as likely to happen--too much missed.
Is Your Company Growing Fast Enough for You?
Are you frustrated by the lack of growth in your firm, or the effort required to squeeze any up-tick in performance? Are inadequate policies and procedures a root cause? To find out, take this simple self assessment to see if this may be inhibiting real growth at your company.Q.
Don't Allow Yourself to Get Burned
I am not a big fisherman, but I do enjoy it whenever the opportunity comes my way. I have some friends who are fanatics and occasionally I will go out with one of them.
The Power of Strategic Thinking: Creating Meaningful Success
Too much goal setting and strategic planning can leave you
feeling like you're working against the forces of nature;
too little and you end up where you never intended to
be-with a life or business that is bigger, smaller, or
different than what you genuinely desire. Though getting you
and your organization where you most want them to be at any
given time can be hard work it can also be exhilarating.
Describing Intellectual Property in Your Business Plan
Most companies that are worthy of raising venture capital have proprietary Intellectual Property (IP). In fact, the quality of the IP and the management team are often the two most important aspects of a venture capitalist's investment decision.
Be Like Bill - Think!
Twice a year, Bill Gates goes to a remote island hide-a-way for a week at a time. No, he's not going for a fishing vacation; instead of rods, reels, and lures he takes market analyses, position reports, engineering reports, and opportunity papers.
Three Steps to Give Your Strategic Plan Traction
We all agree Strategic Planning is a critical part of a company's success. All too often, however, strategic plans stall before they ever make it to execution - or they gradually lose momentum.
Writing Your Business Plan is Actually Storytelling
Storytelling and writing a business plan actually go hand in hand. The same ingredients used in telling a story are also used in writing a business plan.