Leveraging the Internet to Grow Your Business

With more than 20 years of experience in the Information Technology industry, I am still amazed by the growing trends and advances in online communications. Thanks to the information superhighway; I can buy a nice pair of heels, download the Thriller album, seek legal advice, buy & trade stock, and chat with old friends I haven't seen sine high school, all within an hour! It's CRAZY, but GREAT!!! Anything that makes my life simpler is good in my book!

But more importantly, as a business owner, I can use the internet to attract new clients, improve relationships with current clients, form partnerships with other business owners and watch my business grow. And no matter where I am... I can stay connected to my businee operations by simply using my Blackberry.

The Internet is Vital for Business Survival.
It is nearly impossible for a business to survive or flourish without a website or some online presence that will allow people to find information about your business. Even the telephone book has migrated online (www.yellowpages.com). But just like your business, your website must stand out from the crowd.

To get noticed and boost credibility, your site must offer:

• Top-quality website design: clean graphics, attention grabbing designs, visually stimulating, and more!
• User-Friendly Organization: make it easier for people to find the information they want to know. Minimize the clutter and make your site more appeasing to the eye.
• Call to Action: lead generation, don't let visitors leave your site without entering their information or interacting with your services. Entice vistors to interact with your business.
• Social Media Intergation: Link your website to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube and more. Millions of people utilize these sites daily. Allow them to share your site with their friends.
• Search Engine Optimization: Get your site noticed by Google, Yahoo, Bing and more. Update your website content frequently using keywords to be at the top of these search engines.

Approximately two-thirds of the U.S. population uses the internet daily. During the Christmas season, approx. $27 billion was spent in online sales. Did your business get a piece of that?
Not just that, more than 60 million people are on Twitter and over 400 million are actively using Facebook.

As a business owner or professional, you have to be asking yourself, "Am I taking full advantage of the worldwide web to leverage my business and help it grow?" I can guarantee you more than 95% of you are not!

I highly encourage you to make the investment and get connected to your customers today! Don't miss out on new business opportunites because of the quality of you website or lack thereof. Stop giving your competition the lead advantage. Stand up and Stand out online and watch your business grow!!

Sherry Lumpkins
Software and Website Development
Blue Symphony
www.bluesymphony.com