Internet Tip of the Week
by Bob Osgoodby
Pick Up the SlackMany people in business on the Internet try to market only one
product. If the demand for that product is weak or if the demand
dries up, they are virtually out of business. Smart
entrepreneurs however diversify their offerings, and if the
demand is slow for one product or service, the others usually
pick up the slack.
If you have a web site, and if you are trying to do business on
the Internet, this is a must. You can feature your diverse
offerings there. Strategically placed ads should point people to
your web site, and if you have diversification, an added
advantage is that your advertising is doing double duty.People may be attracted to your site by an ad for one product or
service. When they get there they will see your other offerings,
and might purchase one of them, which may not be what attracted
them there in the first place.But here is the real thing that everyone who has a web site must
realize. You seldom make a sale on the first visit someone
makes, and there must be a reason for them to come back. There
are a number of ways to get repeat visitors. Contests have
always been a big draw, and this can take several forms. Most
people can't afford to give away "high ticket" items on a regular
basis, but there are a number of low cost alternatives.
Informational products are always a good bet.
Sticky Web Sites are a hot button these days. So what is a
"sticky" web site. I guess an acceptable definition is one that
gets the people to "stick around" because there is good content
there. There are no real criteria for good content as that
depends on the focus of your site. The bottom line is that if
people like what they see they will return.If you expect people to come back and be a repeat visitor, you
must not only have high quality content, but it must also have
changing content. Your web site must also be recognizable as far
as its name is concerned. Meaningful names today however, are
not easy to acquire. As Dr. Kevin Nunley reported, "A recent
survey showed that of the 25,000 words we commonly use in the
English language, more than 93 percent are already registered as
domain names."This means we have to be a bit creative when registering your
URL. Forget about the long names that have no relation to an
actual company. I'm reminded of the following joke:"Jack loved going to the Web, and decided to have his own web
site. His URL was "MickeyGoofyPlutoMinnie.com" and I asked why
it was so long."Because," Jack explained, "they say it has to have at least four
characters."While this is a bit extreme, you get the point.
Some special characters such as a dash are permitted and so are
numbers. We recently registered http://www.1-webwiz.com. While
not the most creative name, it is easy to remember. As an added
bonus, we have a different server for this addresses so that in
the event one is down, or has a long term problem, it is an easy
matter to switch. All of these are tools at your disposal to sell
your product or service. Not only should your offerings be
diverse, but so should your method of delivery.Diversification is important in any business, but in one as
"fickle" as the Internet, it is a must.-----
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