A
Beginner’s Guide to Using Web Resources for Success in Your Business
by: Ramon Ray 
The following information will guide you through
how to maximize your use of the Internet in your business – including the
tools you need to find information, develop relationships, and promote your
business.
Finding Information
The Internet is a treasure trove of information,
but unfortunately most of the information is difficult to find. The four
web sites I recommend for finding information are GoTo.com,
AskJeeves,
AltaVista
and Yahoo!
You might also find HotBot
to be effective. These sites will generally point you to very specific
places to find information.
Other sites I recommend include the following:
-
Briefme.com sends daily reviews (via
e-mail) of several web sites of a specific topic. There are about 60
topics to choose from.
-
About.com is a great place to find specific information via
its 500+ guides. Click here for small-business
information.
Developing Relationships
Key to online success is to build relationships
with other web sites and individuals via e-mail discussion lists – the
best way to network with other people.
I recommend the following discussion lists:
-
FrankelBiz - A very lively discussion about
making deals and selling - the perfect small business-to-small business
discussion forum
-
Online Advertising - An excellent discussion
about advertising on the Internet
You can search for more lists at OneList.com,
Topica.com,
eGroups.com
or ListBot.com.
Promoting Your Business
Promoting your business on the Net is pretty easy.
Here are some tips:
- If you have good content, ask web publishers
if they would like to use it for their audiences.
- Post to discussion boards. Small-business owners
may be especially interested in the boards at MSNBC,
Cnet, ZDNet,
Inc.com,
FastCompany.com,
and many others.
- Send out press releases. Check out Digitalwork.
- Advertise. For help, see Bcentral,
SmartAge,
Digitalwork,
or AllBusiness.
- For bricks-and-mortar businesses, place a little
bowl in a visible location and ask customers/prospects to drop in their
business cards. Once a week or month, send them a newsletter via e-mail,
mail or fax. iBizMagazine
was specifically created to help such businesses create online businesses.
- Contact journalists. If you have a news
item, see if they'll run a story about you and your company.
- I strongly suggest you check out PR Newswire,
specifically Profnet
(part of PRNewswire), and get your business listed as an "expert"!
Of course, first you need a high-quality web site.
You can get help with these things at iBizMagazine
or BizLand.
|
