Starting a business? Have one that’s a bit outdated? Here’s a checklist for your business that will update it to the new millenium:
- Website – Have I said this before? If you don’t have a website, consider at least some percentage of your sales down the toilet. There are ways to reach prospects online you’ve probably never even dreamed of.
- Blog – Oh, wait, these are different than websites? Blogs add ways to communicate with people (prospects) that your business might not be able to reach, even with a great site. Use a blog for a personal interaction with your customers, like a modern “live-chat” option for your website.
- Analytics – I use Google Analytics because it’s the best it’s the only one I’ve ever used, and it works quite well. Complex enough to meet harcore stats enthusiasts’ needs, yet simple enough (with pretty pictures) for the new user, I recommend starting with it. In addition, since it’s considered the industry standard, many systems like WordPress, Joomla, and others already have great plugins and extensions built that will add the Analytics code automatically on your site.
- Social Presence – Either through MySpace, Facebook, or LinkedIn, or via a micro-blogging platform like Twitter, get used to connecting online through social media. Don’t abandon the “old-school” customers if you have any, but be prepared for the Gen-Y crowd to expect you to be able to reach them on their terms.
- RSS Feed – This should come packaged with your blog, but some systems aren’t as simple as they should be to set up an RSS feed. Basically, you’ll want to use either your blog’s built-in RSS capabilities or FeedBurner’s infrastructure, or both, to maintain and analyze your blog and website’s subscriptions. Remember, a successful blog can be a great place to launch a new idea or product.
This is obviously just a quick list, but stay tuned for additional must-haves for online business!
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This is an excellent post and a must read. The internet has already become the all-mighty, and business people such as myself have no idea on how to unlock it's potential.
This is a great strength of yours… please share more in depth in the future if you get the chance!
Brandon, thanks for the comment!
I've got LOADS of thoughts I need to write down regarding "Internet-y" things… Maybe another eBook is in order?
Talk to you soon,
Nick
Hi Nick,
Great list. I might also add: a listing in Google's Local Business Center. New listings can be created here: http://www.google.com/local/add
Jaime,
Thanks for the tip–I didn't even think about that one! Now that I think about it, I did that WAY back in the day when I was running my music company in San Antonio. It's now defunct, but people call ALL THE TIME still because they found my listing on Google.
Great advice, Jamie, thanks!