Copyright
© Patsi Krakoff
Someone
asked me recently, if I were to expand an existing
professional services business onto the internet, what marketing steps
would I take first: set up a web site, a shopping cart, a newsletter,
or a blog?
This is a very good question. Five years ago most
Internet
marketing specialists would have all responded in chorus, ?A website,
of course!? Then they would recommend their services to create an
elaborate website with lots of bells and whistles.
I had an interesting email this week from a reader
who asked me
about website design fees. This is not my area of expertise. But this
reader is a very smart guy. Why? Because he knows from my ezines, blogs
and web site that I've been online for a few years and making a decent
living from it.
He's a rabbi who has many years experience
counseling people.
He now has made a wise decision to start offering coaching services to
people, and wants to leverage the internet to find clients, sell ebooks
and other programs.
The
First Step ? Ask Questions
He has many questions about what to do first, where
to invest
his marketing dollars, and how to get set up so everything works
seamlessly and automatically.
While I don't profess to have all the answers to his
particular
questions, I want to emphasize what's important here. He is asking
questions!
Many people just go with their gut or common sense.
It goes something like this:
"I need a way to find people online. Ergo, I need a
web site.
Who can do a web site for me, that doesn't cost too much? Oh, you can?
Only $1000. Okay, that seems reasonable. Do it."
It's only later on down the road when they want to
start an
ezine, or a blog, or sell an ebook that they realize they need more
than just a web site. That's when the web designer kicks in with hourly
fees.
I've never heard a programmer say they can't do
something. They
always say they can easily set up autoresponders, gather email
addresses, send out a newsletter, create a blog on your site, and even
create a secure payment system for sales. I'm sorry, but here's the
real news: programmers and web site designers can do all these tasks
with your web site, but they will charge you for it, and it still won't
do everything automatically. And you will be tied to their hourly fees
(and schedule) forever.
Back
to the question asked of me at the beginning of
this article.
While my partner and I recommend an all-in-one
solution and
setting up all the elements together if your budget permits, there are
a couple of ways to get started.
Unless you have a database of prospects, you will
not sell your
services or products. Therefore, we recommend getting started the right
way by building your database ? by offering an ezine or free content to
attract people to your business. And, you need a place on the Internet
where people can find you and subscribe to your content.
The first two pieces then, especially if you're just
starting
out and have a limited budget, are a blog and a shopping cart program
with an autoresponder system.
Third
Party Shopping Cart Systems
A third party shopping cart system is where you get
an account
hosted online by a company that specializes in providing automated
database management, autoresponders, email broadcasting, online
merchant credit card and payments, ad tracking, and affiliate programs.
When you start out, all you need to do is deliver
your ezine
and automated emails through autoresponders. You can get a basic level
shopping cart account. As your business grows and you develop products,
you can upgrade to get more features on your shopping cart, such as
affiliate program management and digital delivery.
There are many online email broadcasting services to
manage
your newsletter. But be aware that an all-in-one solution such as a
shopping cart program will save you time and money in the long run.
We strongly recommend starting off with a shopping
cart program
that can manage your database and newsletters under one roof. It is
better to have all your automated marketing functions with one service
provider, than to separate your database and newsletter out to another
external email service provider.
For detailed information and questions to ask about
how to pick
a shopping cart system, there are a series of articles you can review: http://snipurl.com/Pick_a_Cart
What's
next?
You have your shopping cart system, now what? We'll
explore the issue of websites vs. blogs in our next article.
About The Author
Patsi
Krakoff
As the The Blog Squad, Patsi Krakoff and Denise
Wakeman have
teamed up to work with professionals to maximize their marketing
strategies by implementing blogs, ezines and ecommerce tactics. They
are co-authors of "Build a Better Blog: The Ultimate Guide for Boosting
Your Business with a Professional Blog"," Confessions of a Reluctant
Blogger: From Boring to Brilliant in 30 Days" and "Secrets of
Successful Ezines: A Guide to Writing and Publishing an Ezine that Gets
Results." Get The Blog Squad's free report on the "Top 10 Reasons to do
an Ezine and A Blog": http://snipurl.com/Ezine_Blog.
patsi@customizednewsletters.com
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