Developing a profitable web presence is a process; you can’t simply contract a company or group of companies to do the work for you. [Well I guess you could, as some of you may have... either way your wallet ends up light, right?]

As small business owners we need to connect with the principles of the Renaissance era. To succeed in the evolving world, you need to unlock previously hidden profitability within your business model. Focus on educating yourself and those within your company. N.B. True knowledge is only achieved by testing and getting results.

Did you know that the digital landscape is changing for the better?

Just a couple of short years ago, web designers and programmers were few and far between. They often had very little experience and poor communication skills. These students were the product of what I deem as Alpha testing of the web education system. In software and technology development, Alpha testing is rarely performed on the customer. Alpha testers are usually paid for their objective feedback. In contrast, we the small business owners have actually been paying web designers and programmers to test and develop their skills. On the bright side, companies are surfacing that really know what works! And it is time you did as well.

I am an Infusionsoft certified marketing automation specialist (aka CMAC in my crowd). Their automated follow-up marketing software/CRM is pretty much a prerequisite to success [with freedom] for small business owners. Over the past few years, I have been migrating my clients from Salesforce, 1ShoppingCart, AWeber, ConstantContanct, iContact, and nearly every other solution under the Sun, or as is often the case, a combination these services into Infusionsoft.

Centralizing your business within an Infusionsoft is a sound business decision. The administrative time saved in just a year often covers the cost of the setup and migration [with change to spare], after that you are making pure-profit. Also, let’s all agree, right now, that the one of the keys to success is working on your business not for it. Time saved is money made, and saving time while growing your business is the name of the game! You can use this newfound freedom to develop strategies to improve your business, or even go out and have a little fun!

Next on my prioritized checklist for success is ditching your website. I don’t care how much you paid for it, or how cool you think it is. Unless, of course, you have a high conversion ratio and are making lots of money. But then I have to ask the question, “Why are you reading this post?” If you were just curious, kudos to you; however, if you are in denial….

The first thing you need is a squeeze page. This is a single web page with no exit links to distract your prospects [other than cleverly placed ones to improve your SEO]. This is because you want your prospects to be focused on your offer! Unlike a landing page, a squeeze page is targeted towards your most profitable market segment(s). Landing pages are created, in addition to squeeze page(s), for more specific isolable groups. Success on a rudimentary level is attained by using a squeeze page for information capture, for example a free eBook, that triggers an automated follow-up campaign to nurture the prospect; and gives them an option to make a purchase [preferably take a free test-drive].

Note for aspiring entrepreneurial spirits: if you don’t have a list to market to, at this point in time, you simply need to ask people with lists to drive traffic to your squeeze page under an Affiliate relationship. Infusionsoft can automate this entire process from acquisition to tracking. For those of you that already have a list… [you know what to do!].

Now that you have a solid foundation– the real fun starts! Adding an ecosystem blog to the mix along with joining our coaching program will give you the tools you need to create and sustain and global conversation about your company [and teach you how to use them]. Deploying a blog is the first step on what can only be described as the journey to building “ecosystem drive marketing.” While many bloggers use a similar term, I am going to define it. Ecosystem driven marketing is like viral marketing without any of the negative side effects. It is the destination of choice for the astute marketer. Who wouldn’t want to have a community of thriving clients that are vocal about their success to others, so much so that they put your marketing on auto-pilot by sending you a steady stream of referrals via word-of-mouth and leaving positive feedback all over the worldwide web?

My strategy is to deploy at least two blogs, even for small companies: one to be used as a knowledge base for maintaining and improving internal company knowledge; the other to nurture your prospects and clients. Blogs do these things in a near automated manner!

That’s our basic strategy in a nutshell. I could go on for a lifetime… and tell you thousands of things you can do to improve your business, but I am not going to; at least not for the rest of the day. Currently, I am at Barnes and Noble with a friend. A fresh cup of Earl Grey tea has just arrived, and I am going to get back to reading my book.

You can however, read my ecosystem blog eBook [coming soon], read my web video eBook, peruse this blog, check out my LinkedIn profile, and follow me on Twitter. When you are ready to get the show on the road, schedule a consultation with me>>

Related Posts

• How to be Successful in the New World