Whether you're a service business working to obtain clients, a manufacturer selling products, or a non-profit organization selling your good works, you must spread the word. You must speak up to be heard. Getting a response requires consistent and persistent self-promotion. It is a simple formula: Commit to marketing your services, and business will grow.

As part of your overall strategy, your website is a powerful tool to increase your visibility. Your prospects can immediately access information about your organization instant gratification! A website gives your organization the ability to provide a comprehensive explanation of your services, products, or programs. It can add credibility by listing your clients and their testimonials. Visitors can learn about your staff, and even see pictures of them.

You can draw prospects in with compelling and pertinent content. Articles, tips, and quizzes not only show off your company's expertise and skills, but they are interesting and can educate people about a wide variety of topics.

Your website is a versatile tool, with almost endless potential to be a powerful outreach and promotion workhorse for your organization. Here are just a few examples of ways a website can help you:

* Non-profit organizations can use the website to fundraise, increase membership, solicit volunteers, and encourage people to join in political activism. Online forms allow people to respond immediately.

* Retail businesses can include online catalogs with pictures of their products and online order forms.

* Creative businesses can include online portfolios to show examples of their work.

* Extend the reach of your website by linking to other websites and listing your site with search engines.

* Make the most of meta tags and keywords (you'll probably have to ask a website programmer to help you with this one!)

Copyright 2002, Wendy Gray Maynard, Kinesis