Building an online business incorporates the same exact principals you would use offline for business building. Sure there may be more technology involved but the people are still flesh and blood. It all starts with building relationships online first since these people are the ones you will be marketing your business to.
It is absolutely vital in order to achieve any measurable success in business online to first establish a feeling of trust with people. No doubt they will be plenty of technically oriented marketing techniques you'll need to learn but it all starts with customers. Putting technology ahead of customer relationships will only put you on a long road to frustration.
Let's review here the 3 cornerstones you'll need to establish before successfully marketing your business online.
Build a Solid Reputation
Upon initial contact with any prospective customers it is vitally important to follow-up on whatever promises or indications you may have already made to them. For instance you may have promised a free gift that will help them in a certain way. Be sure you deliver on this promise. This is your first and only chance to make a good 'first' impression. By delivering as you promised you are off to a go start.
The same applies if you've indicated yourself as an information source for particular subject matter. Be sure to make this information available as you've indicated you would.
You are now building up a degree of reliability with your 'customers' so take it a step at a time and be consistent.
It's All About The Customer
Always put your customers interest first and foremost inn everything you do and in the manner in which you make contact. These people have arrived at your site for a reason. They've responded to an ad or perhaps some content you've made available but in either case you must identify what it is they are seeking. By keeping their wants, needs, or interests in mind you are in a better position to respond to them in a favorable manner.
Remember, whatever your business or service may be without your customers you will have no business! They don't care how technically savvy you are nor are they overly concerned about all the colorful graphics your site may display. They want what they want and it is as simple as that!
Don't Complicate Things
Keep you site clean and professional looking. Be sure it projects the image you want it to and downplay any showmanship.
Make your messages and advertising clear as to what it is you are offering. Online you don't have a lot of time to rebound from any miscue with customers. Confuse, mislead, bore, or annoy them and they are gone, end of story!
Although an online business does involve more technology then its offline counterpart the importance of building relationships is still the same. The basic premise for any type of business building starts with positive and trusting customer relationships. How people perceive you or your business has everything to do with the amount of success in business you actually achieve. To overlook this would be a grave error when attempting to establish yourself online and should be your very first priority. In time you'll no doubt master the necessary online marketing techniques required to grow your business but a strong relationship with your customers should always come first.
TJ Philpott is an author and Internet entrepreneur based out of North Carolina.
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