No, it’s not an ad for deodorant! It’s the headline of my contribution to an article that appreared in last weeks Sunday Tribune Business supplement entitled ‘Moving Online’

THE potential offered by the Internet to the business owner is enormous. If you have a product or service to sell, you need a successful online presence. This means more than just getting the company website up-and-running – it means using the internet to market directly to consumers.

Having a focused and attractive website is a solid starting point for building your online profile, but you also need a web designer who will take the time to meet you and get to know your business, because they will only be able to project your image favourably if they understand it.

Keeping the site content fresh will attract return visitors, while having a blog and using social media (such as LinkedIn or Twitter) will get your business talked about online.

The rush to get online is on.  Remember to:

• Keep your content fresh
• Use traffic analysis to monitor your website’s progress
• Use social networking to engage directly with customers and raise awareness of your brand
• If you have a product or service to sell,  show your wares through online demos

The Internet is there to be used
The more you put into it the more you will get out of it.

Read the full article in PDF format.