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10-Jul-2005
I have a Web site. Now what?
Q: I read your article about making a Web
site to promote my artwork online. I
found some free space on a popular Web directory and my address
is structured similar to this: http://art.webdirectory.com/~sam/
I'll get my own domain later on after I see how this works.
I don't care for the host's distracting ads and
limited daily bandwidth policy, but don't mind
saving a few bucks. Am I headed in the right direction? —Sam
A: Sam, Sam, the art making man. You must have
read our How
to Use a Web Site for Self-Promotion Q & A from January.
Great stuff there, and you're certainly headed in the right direction
by bringing your art online
and promoting
yourself through the Web.
But there's something I've got to tell
you about your situation that you're going to have to take with
a grain of salt. In fact, this advice is spot-on for a few other
people I know, so I've written an article on it.
Before you invest a lot of time and effort on your "free" Web
space (and subsequent promotion of it), please consider the following
article.
5 Must-haves for Promoting Your Products or Services Online
Using the Web to Your Promotional Advantage
By Chris Dunmire
I’m acquainted with a handful of talented
artists and writers who put endless effort into promoting themselves
online.
Many (but not all) have
made their own Web sites and spend hours each week e-mailing prospects
with their articles, artwork, and other creative offerings.
Week after week I listen to the experiences these
creatively-endowed people relate to each other. Some complain that
nobody is interested in
what they do, and others wonder why they are being overlooked when
they have Web sites showcasing their talent online. One
writer has even published a book, but still doesn’t have a
Web site to promote it!
As an objective
observer, I often see obvious reasons for their lack of promotional
success. They are creating barriers with their prospective clients
and customers and don’t even realize it.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, here are a few things
you should take a look at when it comes to promoting yourself or
your products online. Before I discuss them, I want you to review
the following scenarios:
Scenario 1:
Maria is a practicing massage therapist with the dream of becoming
a greeting card artist. She creates beautiful watercolor illustrations
and has them printed on high-quality card stock. On the back of
each card is printed:
Maria’s Watercolor Greeting Cards
www.populardomain.com/~maria/cards/
cutemariagirl@yoohoowoo.com
When people visit Maria’s Web site, they arrive at a poorly
designed page full of populardomain.com’s branding and
advertisements surrounding huge graphics and choppy information
about her massage
therapy services and watercolor greeting cards.
Maria’s products, prices, and ordering information are buried
deep in the site's pages after scrolling down several screens.
Some hyperlinks click through “404 Not Found” messages
or “under
construction” pages with no useful information.
Is Maria making it easy for her visitors to find her Web site
and more information about her beautiful watercolor greeting cards?
No.
She loses potential sales because visitors get frustrated trying
to find information and quickly leave her site.
Scenario 2:
Sara is in her third year of selling one-of-a-kind beaded jewelry
creations online. With every purchase customers receive a handwritten
thank you card with her business information printed on the back:
Sara’s Beaded Beauties
Unique Handmade Jewelry Pieces
www.beadedbeauties.com
sara@beadedbeauties.com
Visitors to Sara’s Web site find it attractively designed
with easy navigation to main sections about her jewelry pieces,
pricing, ordering information, and related items she makes. The
images on
her site are consistently sized and displayed in a gallery-like
layout, first as thumbnails and then as larger images when clicked
on for
more detail. She has testimonials from previous customers praising
her work.
Is Sara making it easy for her visitors to find her Web site and
order products online? Yes. And she will have returning customers.
These scenarios illustrate the differences between successful and
unsuccessful Web promotion. Having a Web site in itself doesn’t
guarantee success. Presentation becomes key. Think about it like
this: a scrumptious lobster dinner can be served on an elegant serving
dish or on the backside of a garbage can lid. I think you know what
I’m driving at.
Keeping these scenarios in mind, let’s discuss the top five
things you can’t do without when it comes to promoting yourself
or your products online.
- Your own Web Site domain ("www" address).
When the Web was new, it was okay to piggy-back your Web site
under someone else’s URL. That all changed when having a Web site
became a standard in the business world in the 90s. If you want
to be taken seriously, you’re going to have to spend the
$10 or $15 dollar yearly fee it takes to register and renew your
domain name. Be sure to choose a name that is memorable and represents
best what you do. Sara’s beadedbeauties.com is perfect.
In
Maria’s case, she’s hosting her site under some
popular domain with a difficult to remember address. How many mistakes
will
people make trying to type it in for the first time? And guess
what? Due to the host's branding and ads on her pages (which is
why it's "free"), she's competing with other products right
on her
own site! Plus, if the site goes defunct or
limits daily
visitors,
she has
no
control
over her Web site going into oblivion.
- Your own Web Site.
Once you have your domain name registered, you need to get your
own Web site established online. You do this by finding a
Web site
hosting company who “rents” virtual space out
to you on a monthly or yearly basis (again, typically $10-$15
a month). Just like renting an apartment, you
have to stay current with your hosting bill; otherwise you’ll
find your Web site “unplugged” and unavailable
to visitors.
You need your own site because if people
are interested in what you do from your initial contact,
they're going to want
to see
more. Having your own Web site on your own domain will demonstrate
that you're up-to-date with the times and are on top of
managing your business.
If you’re design savvy, you can design your own Web site
or buy easy-to-use templates that will do the job. If you’re
not, don’t. Your Web site is a virtual portfolio presentation
competing against a sea of other sites and should look professional
and trustworthy.
There are also critical search engine optimization (SEO) design
details you need to be educated on in order for people to find
your site
from major search engines. This is one area you shouldn’t
skimp on.
- A professional e-mail address.
While it’s tempting to be cute when choosing an e-mail alias
like Maria’s, you’ll fare much better by keeping
it on a professional level and tying it in with your Web site
domain. Your
Web site hosting package will come with a specific number of
addresses you can set up with your Web site. The e-mail names
you choose will
add to the overall impression others will have of your company.
- Work samples.
If you’re an artist, your Web site must show samples of your
artwork. The same applies if you’re a crafter, designer, or
other product maker. You can scan your work or take digital photos
and create Web graphics out of them. If you don’t know how
to do this, learn (or have your designer do it for you). Understand
the importance of compressed, fast-loading graphics that don’t
take up the whole screen. It’s invaluable to your Web site
promotion and visitor experience.
And if you’re a writer,
providing articles or excerpts of your work is mandatory. How
else will people get a feel for your
skills?
If you offer non-tangible services such as coaching or massage
therapy, be thorough in explaining your philosophy and approach,
general practices, and other important information new clients
need to know when contracting with you. Make it easy for them to
contact
you with follow-up questions and be professional in your response.
Important: This is not the place to be showing cute pictures of
your pets.
- Testimonials.
Build credibility for your business by offering testimonials
on your site for your products or services. This is as simple
as your
last customer’s
satisfying experience with you:
“Sara’s beautiful beaded jewelry bracelet made a lovely
gift for my granddaughter’s birthday. She wears it every
day!” — Veronica
Gribbles, Ashton, Massachusetts
Don’t make up fake praise
for your testimonials. Seek out authentic comments from people
who love and support your work
and post them on your site with their name and/or a link to their
Web
site.
If you want to be more successful in your online marketing efforts,
and want to be taken seriously as a business, you can’t do
without these five things. Independence and presentation are key
here. Having
your
own
domain
name, Web site,
professional
e-mail address, work
samples, and testimonials will make prospective clients and customers
feel
more comfortable and informed about what you do.
Most of all, you’ll
be a notch above others who continue to piggy-back on other domains
and present their work in other less-than professional ways. Remember
the garbage can lid? •
© Chris Dunmire. All rights reserved.
Creativity Portal hopes you enjoyed this feature, which is copyright © Chris Dunmire and not available for reprint on your Web site, blog, or publication. Please respect the creator's copyright by not duplicating this material elsewhere.
 About the Author | More by Chris Dunmire
Chris Dunmire is an artist, humorist, workshop facilitator, and the driving force behind the Creativity Portal Web site. Chris trained as a creativity coach with Eric Maisel, Ph.D. and inspires people of all ages with her Web sites and printable playbooks — including the world-famous Dollar Bill Origami Money Plant.
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