Pretend you are opening a store in a busy shopping mall. As a savvy business owner you will budget for the monthly rent, utilities, security, signage, advertising, marketing, fixtures and inventory. Will you expect to begin making money the minute your doors are open for business?

As a website owner, let’s use the retail store analogy – you invest money in the building of the website or the retail storefront. Next, you open your doors for business or your website goes “live”. The thinking is that once the website is built, the search engines should find you immediately and the cash register will start ringing. Is this realistic? Why are online expectations so drastically unrealistic from offline expectations?

Many website owners have budgeted no time or money for online advertising or marketing yet expect dollars to come flooding in. I get dozens of emails every day with desperate pleas like, “Can you fix my website?” “What’s wrong with my website?” Or my personal favorite, “I can’t spend any more money on my website.”

If you want excellent results from your website then it’s a smart idea to invest some time and money into the marketing of the site. Here are three budgets and scenarios to consider.

Piggybank of Money – You have more time than money and can afford to wait for results. Focus on your website usability and how to attract your ideal clients. Research keyword phrases, start reciprocal linking ,cross-marketing efforts and actively engage in social media. Educate yourself by taking some seminars or teleclasses. Take immediate action on what you learn.

Stash of Money – You want immediate results and have a pretty good budget. Optimize your site to the max so the search engines and your target audience will find you. Consider a pay-per-click campaign. Invest in Google Ad Words. Enhance your offline marketing strategies to compliment your online strategies.

Buckets of Money – You want maximum results and have no budget limitations. You know what conversion rates are worth and will strategically test and measure results. Implement everything outlined in the previous two budgets plus Google Sponsor Spots. Invest in more than one pay-per-click program. Pay for listings in relevant industry, geographic and target market specific directories. Hire a Public Relations and SEO firm that will maximize your on and offline efforts.

In any of the above scenarios it’s a good idea to keep reinvesting some time and money into ongoing website efforts. When you find something that works, keep doing it and take it to the next level. For example, if you find that you’re getting lots of traffic from industry-specific directories, contact them and see how you can do more business with them. Maybe you got several clients from a website that you’re linked with. Contact that website owner and thank them, then suggest more ways you can promote each other’s business.  And finally, talk with your competitors. Are your online goals and expectations realistic? Ask your competitors how they are doing, what is working and what they’ve found to be their most effective online marketing strategy.

1. Easy – Let the visitor know it is easy to do business with you. Easy to order, easy to buy, easy to subscribe, easy to phone, easy, easy, easy. Don’t we all want everything to be easy? This is a buzzword for sure.

2. FREE – yes, put this word in big, bold capital letters at least once on your home page. Everyone can give something away for FREE. The Internet was built on the premise of FREE. What can you give away for FREE?

3. Today – Why delay? Order today! Now is good, today is better! This word invites the visitor to take action today. Tell them why today is better than tomorrow and that’s even better. Encourage them to buy from you today.

4. Buy – Yes, tell them to buy or take action. Use this word and make this prominent on your site. Order, Buy, Subscribe or Call. These are all action-oriented words that educate the visitor on where to click to “buy”.

5. Questions – Ask a question to get a response or interaction from a visitor. Use emotional words within the question to get a greater reaction. Which sounds better: “Make those hits multiply like rabbits.” or “Are your hits multiplying like rabbits?” See the difference?

6. Bullet Points – People tend to scan rather than read when they are online. Bullet points are good because they separate the text and are easy to scan quickly. Statistics show that odd numbered bullet points work best using 3-5 rather than 4-6.

7. Social Media Icons – Place these in the footer or sidebar of your site so they appear on every page. This encourages people to follow you on Twitter, friend you on FaceBook or connect with you on LinkedIn.

8. Benefits – Don’t tell me you’ve been in business for 25 years, tell me what that many years of experience is going to do for me. What makes you special? How will I feel when working with your company? What type of experience am I going to have that is different from your competitors?

9. Sign Up – OK, it’s two words, but they really work. Sign up for our free ezine; sign up for our secrets, tips or free sample. By having the visitor “sign up” you get their email address and maybe more if you have them fill out a short form. This gives you permission to market to them in the future. These are the people who are truly interested in what you have to offer.

10. Thanks – Yes, make sure to thank your online customer or potential customer for stopping by your site, placing the order or signing up. People thrive on appreciation. One company I deal with online, goes a step further and sends a handwritten thank you note every time I place an order.

10.5 Bonus – Include a special bonus for your visitors. This could be a bonus offer when you order two for one or a bonus report or a bonus coupon. Visitors love extras!

You’ve got to sell your site with WORDS because the visitor is sitting in front of a screen instead of meeting you face-to-face. The right amount of words and the way you say it is so important. Have fun playing with words on your web site and start seeing results today!

I read and process about 150 business emails on a daily basis and look at over 80 websites. Adding any social media activities to this already heavily multitasking type schedule is overwhelming. I feel first and foremost I need to be responding to clients and scheduling projects with our team. I tried delegating this social media aspect to my assistant and that just didn’t work. I think social media is something one personally needs to do. It’s kind of like sending my assistant to a networking meeting – it’s not the same as me being there in person.

I gotta tell ya, this twittering is like texting on steroids. I’m still weighing out the time vs. benefit. Stats show that 60% of people who start on Twitter become Twitter Quitters. The piece I find fascinating is that it can be educational and easy to find resources with Twitter search. The company is growing rapidly and new uses for it are developing all the time. So, we’ll see what transpires in the next few months.

The first thing I noticed on Twitter was how many people started following me that are supposedly Twitter experts. They asked me to sign up for their Ebooks, Ezines and Courses all about making money with Twitter. This just added to my state of being overwhelmed. Then I became afraid that I wasn’t doing it right.

I started to wonder why some strange people were “following” me. It’s weird to think that, I know! What’s the point of having thousands of followers? I don’t just automatically follow everyone who follows me. I’m only interested in following people who have something of interest to me. For example, if I look at their tweets and they mostly say “having a bagel for breakfast” or “looking for something to do” or repeated self-promotions – I do not follow them. I unfollow people who tweet every few minutes about nothing. The ones I like to follow have current marketing tips, web trends, good resources, links to articles or quotes.

I downloaded several tools and apps for Twitter like Tweetdeck and Tweetlater. Another learning curve here as there are a gazillion apps out there. Now I’m trying Twitterific. I also downloaded the Twitter widget for MAC and that’s pretty handy. When I post on Twitter it’s supposed to show up in Facebook but if I post on Facebook it will not show up in Twitter.

Below are just a few items I’ve “tweeted” about in the past in no particular order.

# Just finished reading The China Study – extensive research and startling truths about what we’re eating.8:23 AM Jun 2nd from web

# Client Relationships – funny and true! http://bit.ly/DCwfL2:39 PM Jun 1st from web

# Wine & theatre event Quilters musical in downtown Denver http://bit.ly/smGg312:04 PM May 29th from web

# New blog post: Five Web Faux Pas to Avoid http://bit.ly/MNFdH6:48 AM May 27th from Twitter Tools

# Savvy Web Marketing in 5 minutes http://thewebmuse.com/blog/12:03 PM May 22nd from web

# List of website tools and resources http://bit.ly/BF59s11:53 AM May 21st from web

# “Family isn’t only blood – it’s the friends you love, across the generations.” – Michael Caine11:45 AM May 20th from web

# Q&A Laptop Cafe in Denver today at 2:00 – always learn lots of useful info http://www.creativemarketin…11:48 AM May 19th from web

Leave a comment below about your likes, dislikes and experiences with Twitter. I’m always learning! You can follow me on twitter here: www.twitter.com/webmuse

1. Big Red Flag. No website? If the person you are planning to hire doesn’t have a site of his or her own, this is a big red flag. How will they know what works or doesn’t work if they haven’t tested it on their own site? If they are a professional in business they will have a website. Their website is a true reflection of them – study it carefully looking for anything that may indicate “this company looks great!” to “I have some doubts in working with this company”.

2. Listen to me. Can you hear me now? Are they really listening to what you want/need? OR immediately writing out a prescription like a bad doctor based upon what they think you need. If it is the latter – run-Forest-run.

3. Experience. How many years of experience does this person have? How will this benefit you?

4. Resources. How many resources does this person utilize? If they work only with one program or have one resource and derive all information/facts from that one source – probably not in your best interest to hire someone with such limited resources.

5. Speak to me. Do they speak your language? If they are speaking in technical terms you don’t understand ask them for the plain English version. If you still don’t understand and they aren’t patient with explanations – keep looking.

6. Questions. Are they asking you the right questions? What is the goal of your website? Who is your target audience? How we will reach that audience online and offline?

7. Follow Through. How long does it take the person to return your phone calls or emails? This is a strong indication of what it will be like to work with this person. A good businessperson will respond in 24 hours or less.

8. Get it in Writing. Will you have a written agreement outlining the scope of work and pricing details? It’s important to get it in writing so both parties are clear on the expectations, time frame and other details.

9. Stories. Ask them to tell you success stories of working with different clients/companies. Who is their favorite client and why? Have they had any situations where clients have been unhappy? How did they handle those situations?

10. References. Call at least two or three people that they have worked with or are currently working with. Check the Clients, Portfolio or FAQ pages at their website. Ask three important questions when speaking with their references:

a. Would you tell me what type of experience you’ve had working with _______?
b. Have there been any surprises while working with ________?
c. As an XYZ company is there anything in particular you’d recommend I be mindful of before hiring a web professional?

Ask lots of questions. Go with your gut. Your own personal feeling about working with the person is going to matter more than anything else. Also remember that web professionals will be interviewing you at the same time to see if you’re a good fit for them. It’s a good idea to talk with at least three businesses to see who best fits your needs, timeframe and budget.

Finding a good web professional and establishing a long-lasting relationship with them will benefit your business. You will have peace of mind knowing that your website is being taken care of while you concentrate on doing what you do best.

Whenever I do a workshop or speaking engagement I ask the audience, “What search engine do you use for finding sites and information?” I’m often surprised at the responses and almost always learn about one or two search engines that I’ve never heard of before. Google, MSN & Yahoo remain in the top three so I’ll summarize some of the data for those.

Google is preferred by males and Google users are 43 percent more likely to buy online over other Internet users.

MSN is preferred by females and those 55 and over prefer this search engine. MSN users are 48 percent more likely to purchase than other Internet users.

Yahoo! users make up the 18-34-year-old segment and are 31 percent more likely to make online purchases.

As a web marketer how will you use this useful information?

1. Look at your statistics and see which search engines are bringing you the most traffic. If you want to increase sales, then research the demographics of the search engines that match your target audience. Let’s say you have a product that appeals to 20-year-olds, then get listed with Yahoo! in Yahoo! Local, place ads in Yahoo, learn all about Yahoo! This is your market – capture it!
2. Check out sites like Forrester Research and Shop.org to learn everything you can about your target audience and their online habits. There is a wealth of information at your fingertips that will save you time in ‘guessing’ why you may not be getting the orders, leads or sales you envision.
3. According to a Harris poll awhile back – the top searches were for Travel, Health & Entertainment. If you research just a little further you’ll discover each of these categories has gender, age and geographic data that could be very useful to your online business. For example: The majority of people searching for travel live in Seattle, New York and Chicago. The most people looking for health information live in Denver. Knowing this type of data helps you in marketing to those specific geographic regions.

Aren’t these facts fascinating? Take some action today with this information and remember – keep having fun with all your web marketing activities! Click on the icon below to “Leave a Comment”.

I often hear from weary website owners that they just don’t have the time to market their websites. Thinking about doing this in large chunks of time can be overwhelming. Just the thought of it may discourage you from taking any action at all. So here’s a challenge for each of you. Do you have 5 minutes? Here’s what you can do in 5 minutes:

1. Go to any website – just pick one out of the blue. Preferably someone you don’t know. Be brave. Pretend I’m there holding your hand (grin).
2. Send the owner a friendly email and compliment him/her on a great site.
3. Indicate that you are looking for help. Remember people LOVE to help. Your single question may look like one of these:

• I need your help. I wonder if you could give me one idea for getting more clients in the area of _______?

• Would you mind giving me some advice? I’d like to know some techniques you’ve used to attract your ideal customers.

• I’d sure appreciate it if you could take just a moment to help me. My target audience is _____ . Do you have any ideas on ways that I could best reach that particular audience?

Thank them for their five minutes of time and close with your email signature. If their postal mailing address is on the website you may want to send them a handwritten thank you with your business card.

Now, go off and celebrate. Take a walk, take a nap, pat yourself on the back. You’ve done it. You spent five minutes working on your website. Well done!

It’s fast, it’s fun and easy! Click on the icon that says, “Leave a Comment” below and let others read about your five minutes of marketing.