The Changing Of The Seasons Warrants A Change In Your Perspective

Most business women wake up early to plan their day. They put an enormous amount of effort into scheduling meetings, making phone calls, attending to administrative tasks, and running errands. But, how many business women put as much thought and energy into planning their website, logo, brand identity, and marketing initiatives? In the early days of the Internet, it was a legitimate concept to simply have a website no matter how it looked or functioned. As long as you could say you had one, you were in good standing. Those times no longer exist. Now, it is imperative that business women devote themselves to creating a strategic plan in order to recover the highest return on their investment when utilizing the Internet as a marketing tool.


The latest statistics are showing that about 1/3 of all new small businesses are being created by women. The FOX Small Business Center Website in an article posted February 19, 2010 boasts, “Not only are women-owned firms contributing $3 trillion annually to the U.S. economy and accounting for 16% of all jobs, but new research shows women entrepreneurs will create 5 to 5.5 million new jobs across the U.S. by 2018. (Source: www.foxsmallbusinesscenter.com/strategy/2010/02/19/study-women-rock-small-business-owners/) These stats prove that we must work harder than ever to stand out from our competition and that competition is now comprised of men and women.


It is estimated that in 2009, approximately 46 percent of small business owners do not have a website at all. (Source: www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007431)  Not all of these business owners are women, but the nature of our culture today predicts that many will be.  So how does the new business owner make an impact in this fast-paced, ever changing world of Internet technology? Actually, starting with the basics is always a good first step.


Let’s focus your attention on this list of critical items all women entrepreneurs should consider concerning their websites:

• Complements your business, is inherent to your industry, and is search engine friendly
• Clean, concise, quality website design that is displayed correctly using multiple browsers
• Has an updateable feature that allows you to control your content
• Kept fresh with your new ideas, message, products, and services
• Shows your expertise and your niche
• Captures demographic and statistical information used to measure the site’s effectiveness
• Incorporates social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogging, and News Feeds to keep your business relevant and visible
• Builds a buzz about your site while using traditional network marketing techniques

Most business women just starting a site of their own can find this list a bit intimidating. No fear! You don’t have to go at it alone. My company, Affluent Concepts, prides itself on providing personalized website services to our clients, but we also help to educate business women on what works well for them on the Web.

In conclusion, the path to victory is not always paved in gold. It takes a lot of planning, work and focus to meet your business goals both online and off. Good thing we have one another, huh? The prospect of utilizing one another’s strengths and changing our perspectives can mean the difference between seeing your efforts being planted in the Spring and blossoming in the Fall while you watch the leaves change colors. I hope you are sewing in good soil today so that you can see the fruits of your labor very soon.

Article written by Tonia White
Affluent Concepts Web Design & Multimedia Services

webmaster@affluentconcepts.com

www.affluentconcepts.com