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From Adrian Lee

Building A Business On The Internet

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

I meet a lot of people who are interested in having their own website, but most do not understand what it is to use their website to extend their marketing reach. A website is an additional channel to reach your target market and can be a sales channel. Your website should serve a purpose, so don't build a website just to have an internet presence. A website is a marketing channel, and if you have an existing business, be sure to promote your website off-line.

Many of the business owners I know should build an ecommerce website. Ecommerce solutions offer many benefits, from web hosting to shopping carts, and even custom solutions. A website is an extension of your business or the service you provide. Make sure the potential client know what you provide and can buy or sign up for your service right there on your website. Make it easy for your potential client to do business with you.

Especially if you have a retail channel, a website should be an extension of that channel, ie an on-line shop. That is what ecommerce solutions can provide for your business. Setting up a retail channel on the internet needs to be done well to convince your potential customers to buy from you. A website based business, ecommerce or on-line shop, is a face of your business and should reflect the way you conduct your business off-line.

I know of a bakery owner who wants a website, but instead of paying someone to build a professional looking website, asked her teenage nephew to build one for her using a free website service. There is nothing wrong with using a free service like blogger.com, but not when it reflects your business. While I am all for working with teenagers, unless you provide a specific brief on what your website should convey, it can turn out different from what you expect. As a business owner, you should there are no short-cuts nor should a website be a afterthought. It is part of your marketing channel, and the rules of marketing applies.