8 step guide to getting online
The world of business marketing and communication has changed dramatically in the
past 20 years. We went from a business card as the number one marketing priority, to a
website as the ultimate business communication.
In the new business world, if you work from home, you will have limited opportunities to
hand out your business card and unlimited opportunities to invite people to your website.
Where to Start?
You will want to start the process by referring back to your USP (unique selling
proposition) and your target audience. Are you making jewelry for men, for teens, for
elderly women, for fashion models, or for pets? Make sure your website reflects your
business.
Once you have established your market, you can begin developing your website.
1. You will need a domain name. Like the signage outside Danny’s Pizza Place,
you will have a sign for your website; your domain name.
Consider what you want to say: do you want to identify the need of the shopper in
your name such as, www·pearlsandpetals·com (for a site that features pearls and
crystal rosebuds). Or, www·menstoering·com for a site dedicated to toe rings for
men.
Some prefer to use their name in the title; www·karensjewelemporium·com
or, a completely unrelated word such as www·zipzup·com. Be careful though
when you use abstract names. If you don.t have much money to advertise, you
will need the results of organic searches from the search engines – so including
something about jewelry in the domain name might be the right move for you.
2. Buy the name. There are so many places online where you can search for the
availability and purchase your domain name. A domain name can cost $8-$15
year (and more if you add special features). Check out:
www·godaddy·com
www·networksolutions·com or search online for others.
3. Decide how much you want to spend on a website. If you are just starting out,
you don.t NEED to spend $3000+ on building a site. There are many options for
you.
. Use a template site – you build your site, but it is as easy as using
Microsoft Word. Check out:
www·homestead·com
www·citymax·com
. Use a service such as Elance or Guru and hire a free-lance web designer
and a copywriter to develop a site with you.
. Hire a marketing firm to do the research, and provide you with a
professionally crafted site.
Remember: you can do this in phases. You could go with a template site for a year or two and then grow your site to the next level. You might be surprised. The templates have built in systems that allow you to take payments online, host shopping carts, send newsletters etc.
4. Do some studying on SEO – search engine
optimization. Although you can pay for online
advertising, you also want to come up in search
results when people search for your type of
jewelry. (organic results)
Keywords are crucial. You need to know which
keywords are most popular when people search for
artisan jewelry. Much to your surprise, you could fill
the text of your site with the keyword “gems”, only to
discover that the most searched term is “beads.” That
one mistake could cause you to lose thousands of
dollars.
A great place to begin learning about keywords is:
Wordtracker or https://adwords·google·com/select/KeywordToolExternal
There are companies that can help you with SEO. Be sure to talk to a few of
their references to hear what they have to say about the service. Unfortunately,
there are some crooks out there!
5. Decide what you want on your main 5 pages. Remember your first page must
capture the interest of your visitor. They don.t care about how great YOU are,
they care about what you are providing for them: how great they will look in your
jewelry…and so on.
The first five pages could be:
. Home – capture interest
. Bracelets – Photos and descriptions
. Rings- Photos and descriptions
. Necklaces- Photos and descriptions
. Contact us-
Pages 2-4 would be linked to your shopping cart.
6. Continue to ad content
to your site. This is not
only photos of more
jewelry to sell. You
need to add content
either about the jewelry
pieces you.ve made, the
kinds of stones, the
meaning of designs; it.s
your choice. Add content continually to help you rise in the natural search
engines and create added value for your customers.
7. Consider your customer service policies. Buying online involves extra risk.
People don.t know you or your products. What guarantee will you offer them, do
you provide shipping discounts on purchase volumes? Finally, if someone has a
complaint, is there an outlet provided where they can voice the complaint?
(Perhaps a 1-800 number or an email address?)
8. How will you promote the site? There are many ways to advertise your new
business online. Check out: http://www·promotionworld·com/tools/
and www·businessownerideacafe·com. There is free information to help you
learn where to start.
Remember back at chapter one when you thought it was great to FIRE THE BOSS and
start your own business? Well, it is fun! It is also, a truckload of work to get things up
and running. Once you do, you can be making money at night while you sleep, or while
you are making the next set or earrings! So don’t give up, YOU CAN DO THIS!
Don.t miss you next chapter! We will talk about the largest department store on earth,
and how easy it would be to sell your creations to the hundreds of thousands of
shoppers who buy there everyday!