Business Startup Tips

Starting a business can be an exciting and also scary time in life. In today's world, not only do you have to worry about your brick-and-mortar business and physical supplies such as product inventory, furnishings, paper, pens, etc, but as Phillip Thow advises, you also have to be concerned with the internet. It's no longer as simple as hanging an open sign, according to Phillip Thow. The day you open your business you also need to have a well-designed, content-based website up and ready for business. If not, you are already at least a few years behind your closest competitor.

If designing and maintaining a website seems overwhelming, Phil Thow recommends you hire a web-developer. As business owner, you will need to work closely with the developer to guarantee that your website is user friendly and still exactly what you need it to be. Phil Thow has a checklist to keep in mind:

·       Use your company logo and clearly state what your business offers.

·       Provide good-quality photos of your goods or services. Phillip Thow even recommends you provide photos of yourself and staff.

·       Include a search function of your site itself. Phil Thow says this adds to the convenience of your site.

·       Check the websites of your competition. Phil Thow suggests that doing so will allow you to make your site equal or even better to theirs.

·       Make certain that your check out process is as clear and simple as possible. Phil Thow reminds business owners to also include contact information incase a customer needs help or runs into trouble.

Finally, Phillip Thow advises every business owner to utilize the internet as the most cost-effective marketing tool. Learn more about online visibility, business emails and newsletters and affiliating with other businesses. Phillip Thow is confident that any business can succeed if you follow these tips.

Marketing Your Small Business

If you are a small business owner, you may feel as though you have to think small in terms of your business. This is absolutely untrue. Phillip Thow suggests every business owner take hold of a global market by using the internet as the great marketing tool it can be. Try these cost-effective ways Phillip Thow recommends for building your business.

1.    Email is a tool, use it that way! Your existing customers shop with you for a reason. Why not reward them with exclusive coupons, newsletters or other promotions? Phil Thow points out that you can easily collect email addresses to distribute these promotions that way. Satisfied customers are also likely to pass on these emails. Phillip Thow also suggests using email to find new customers with mass emails. If they are brief but interesting, you can attract new clientele!

2.    Affiliation is easy and benefits everyone involved! This simply means that you agree with another business to link their website to your own, and they will do the same for you. Everybody wins says Phil Thow, and more people find your business!

3.    Publish articles every where you can! In today's world Phil Thow recommends using the internet to publish as many articles as you like! Use them to inform the public about your business and what you have to offer. Phil Thow even suggests publishing one article in your local newspaper. Learn more about SEO and what that can do for your small business.

4.    Banner ad's work! If you can afford it, Phil Thow advises placing an ad on a widely visited website such as a social network or local news station. For a set rate, you'll be advertised for a pre-arranged period of time and every click gets you one more customer!

Phillip Thow offers these tried-and-true ideas to kick your business in to high gear. Give Phillip Thow's advice a try!

Social Media for Marketing

If you are looking for a fresh approach to marketing your business, and you have a well-established and functioning website already in place, Phillip Thow suggests you consider the benefits found in social media! The hot new thing is for everybody to have a myspace or facebook page. Shouldn't your business have a page there too? Being on facebook also shows that your business is current and Phil Thow points out how important that is in today's online world.

According to Phillip Thow, this is an easy tool to use and maintain. Facebook and other similar sites are best used for things like featuring a special offer or a promotion, says Phil Thow. You can attract even more customers by offering something on a regular basis. These offers don't have to be big, says Phil Thow. Simply offering a coupon or one item for a discount or even a drawing to win something will attract plenty of new business. You might consider offering surveys or contests periodically. Similar to word-of-mouth advertising, existing customers can become fans of your page, which then shows up on their profile, automatically telling everyone they know about your business. Phillip Thow says they can also refer your page to other friends, especially if you're offering something exciting.

Phillip Thow recommends you treat this page like a branch of your website. Just like your website, you want to post photos of your products or services, and contact information listed. Phil Thow also suggests you advertise your facebook page on your website and post a link to your website on your new facebook page.

Phil Thow advises you keep this page current and post regularly. This reminds your customer base that they want to work with you, and Phillip Thow says you'll find the results you need.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising

When you are ready to advertise your business online, Phillip Thow believes this is the best move you can make. Phil Thow offers information for business owners to begin researching the online methods that are most effective for your business.

The most widely known method of online advertising is to have a banner ad, according to Phillip Thow. These are the ads you see on the side or across the top, when you visit a widely public site, such as a local news station or news paper. Phil Thow says you also find banner ads on social network sites and some email providers. To the business world, Phil Thow tells us these are known as pay-per-click advertisements. These work in different ways depending on the host site, so you'll want to look into that before settling on a site to host your ad.

One way to use a banner ad, according to Phillip Thow is to go through a well-read blog. If your business is manufacturing accent furniture pieces, find a blog that focuses on restoring antique furniture and request ad space. They may have a flat rate for every ad. Phil Thow explains that whether you get one click or a thousand clicks, you pay the blogger the same price. Another way banner ads work is that in the same example, there may be a very low flat rate to advertise, but for every click from a potential customer, you pay the blogger an additional fee. Phil Thow points out that this is beneficial for the host, but it is also very helpful to the business owner because it's easier to monitor how well this ad is affecting business.

Remember this is only one method of advertising that Phillip Thow suggests. There are many other options available and Phillip Thow believes you will find more than one that work for your business.