What does 2009 hold for you? None of us really know. For some, you are experiencing tremendous success and wondering what all the negativity is about. For others, you are experiencing one of the most challenging professional markets of your career.
I've seen countless articles this month advising businesses to hunker down, try to just survive and expect to write 2009 off as a lost cause. Newspaper headlines like "we're in deep" and "worst recession since the Great Depression" abound. Between the negativity on talk radio, cable news and Twitter, sometimes it seems as if the DOW is just one plunge away from obliteration. The strange fact is that all of this negativity can leave normally positive people running scared.
Are you willing to write off an entire year of your life?
Are you willing to wait around until your circumstances improve before you go for the next level of success in your personal and professional life?
As far as I am concerned, 2009 is not a lost cause. Not by any stretch. No question the market has changed. It has impacted my life and my business. I'm no Pollyanna, but I refuse to accept that I can't reach new heights of success over the next twelve months regardless of what is happening around me.
I don't have a year to waste waiting around for better times to come. Tough times don't last but tough people do. I intend to be one of those people. What about you?
This type of market is the PERFECT time to rethink, retool and improve your business. What area of your business needs focus and attention? What if you spent 2009 laser point focused on improving core competencies? Investing in your business and yourself is not just about positioning yourself for 2010; but it's about the immediate opportunities and results that will happen if you are engaged right here and right now in 2009!
One area that many of you need to focus on is your Web marketing strategy. Good news-you've come to right place. Isn't it finally time to address your Web marketing (or lack thereof) and get a strategy that will serve you well in any market? As the Rolling Stones put it, "let's get it started!"
A Web marketing strategy is more than just building a WOW Web site. Ask yourself the following questions:
- 1. How do visitors find our Web site?
- 2. When we Google a search phrase for our product where do we rank?
- 3. What are our competitors doing online?
- 4. How many unique visitors does our Web site average a month?
- 5. When a visitor registers on our Web site what happens to that lead?
- 6. How fast do we follow-up with eLeads? How long do we follow-up?
- 7. How many appointments and sales has our Web site generated?
- 8. Do our salespeople consistently close Web appointments?
Our Web marketing strategy is divided into three phases:
- Phase I - Development of a WOW Web site
- Phase II - Market site online with Search Engine Marketing, Referral Web sites and Social Media
- Phase III - Implementation of an eLead Management Process from Online to Onsite
Using the phased approach keeps projects focused on generating traffic and converting sales; something that can be easily lost in the midst of a Web site project when too much focus is on making the Web site "cool" or look "pretty." Aesthetics and design are very important to attract the target audience, but nothing should be as important as getting results to ensure maximum ROI.
Which phase do you need to focus on? There is no time like the present to start. The entire process takes several months. If you delay this another year, you will be further behind than ever and risk becoming extinct when the market does improve.
You will be successful in 2009 if you think differently and take action. You know the Internet is here to stay. The real question - are you?
If you want to know if your site has the best keywords in your Meta Tags, feel free to email me at debbie@creatingwow.com. Meredith Communications has been building websites and providing search engine optimization for over 7 years. We can quickly access if what your site has will work for your company.
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