23
Sep 2010
Shoestring Budget… Quick Fixes!
By Janette Speyer, Web Success Team
A common mistake we all make is to think that the web is free or that we can do it ourselves. I have been more than guilty of this myself! However, I have learned the hard way that I have to “work AT my business and not IN my business.”
Advertising was once only available to corporations with a budget and basically unaffordable to many. With the advent of online marketing we are now finding that there are many new options available to entrepreneurs and businesses.
If you are running a small business or a start-up and you have no money to spare here are a few things to keep in mind. That being said here is a simple guide to what you should budget for:
Your Website Is Your Bloodline
A basic optimized website: This can run you anywhere from $1,000 to $3,500 depending on what your needs are. But at the very least it should have:
a. All title tags (this is what Google uses to spider your website)
b. Keywords rich content
c. Be WC3 compliant
d. An analytics urchin (Most people use Google Analytics for this)
e. Can’t stress this enough…A BLOG!!!!
Do You Have Time to Be Social? We Do!
Social media is a must for your business: A social media program can you run you $500+ a month for a very basic program and upwards. Here is what you will need:
a. Facebook Fan Page: This is a must for all business. It is best to have your agency create content, follow FB policies, and monitor your activity.
b. Linkedin profiles: This is where you will do your more serious connecting and you need to manage your relationships and groups.
c. Stumble: Here is where you will “share” all information, news, links and other items belonging to your company.
Yay… I Got it for FREE!
Your website needs to reflect your business and your services, so free does come at a price. Social media programs take time to prepare, implement, circulate and create. If you only have a shoestring budget at the very least have your website optimized so that the search engines can find it and consider networking on some of the social platforms.
Your Website Is Your Business, Social Media Is Your Sales Force!
Social media will deliver traffic to your website, target your customer base and help build relationships. Think of the time and resources to make one new business call; then think of how much you or your online marketer can accomplish it the same span of time — and reach multiple prospects. It’s definitely worth the investment.
About the Author: Janette Speyer is an online marketer, social media strategist and co-founder of the Web Success Team. You can follow Janette on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
September 27th, 2010 22:47 /
Hey Janette, excellent post! I am actually in the process of creating a report warning small businesses/startups about these same principles! I think people get caught up on “price” of websites and online marketing and not on the quality of what they are getting and understanding that their website is an investment and ultimately their online window to their products and services.
September 29th, 2010 17:52 /
@Kesha. Thanks. I would love to read your report 🙂