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Use Your Website to Increase Revenue from Your Clients & Their Friends
Category: Search Engine Marketing
Date: July 14, 2004
One of the best ways to increase revenue is to increase your sales to existing clients. In fact, it's probably fair to
say a client in hand is worth four in the bush.
Existing clients are often very effective at bringing you NEW business as well because you have likely helped them
solve a problem and helped bring them success. Your reward (besides a paycheck) is that your clients will often
unconsciously sell others on your products and/or services. So, if your clients are out there selling you, why not make
sure they are up to date with all that you have done and all that you do?
There are many ways to keep your clients informed, like a newsletter and direct phone calls. Another subtle but effective
way to keep them informed about your activities is to get them to your website and keep them returning. How you ask?
By using your website when you work with them. For example, if you are working on a proposal or designing graphics,
send them to your website and have them log in to a secure folder where their file awaits them. Another way to get
clients to your site is to present your invoices to them online.
Now-a-days inexpensive tools are available - let's call them "helper applications" - to let you invoice and share
documents so you don't need to spend lots time or money building them yourself. Some of these services also let you
customize their applications to suit your corporate identity. For document management and document sharing try using
Intranets. If your company is small, and not particular about
its corporate identity, PayPal now offers some
customization on their paypage should you wish your clients to simply pay you online. For invoicing, with an online
payment option, and complete customization, try 2ndSite.
2ndSite also provides document management and they offer
a free account - much like Hotmail - that does not expire and is fully functional.
So, if you are going to draw clients to your site, be sure to capitalize. Make sure your home page clearly conveys
the LATEST news concerning your company and a case study or two would not hurt. This is also a good time to present
an online survey to your clients, as clients are more likely to take the time to fill out a survey if they feel
they know you and have a vested interest in your ongoing success. Other useful tools include industry news, comparison
studies and white papers.
By using your website as a functional business resource - not just a marketing tool - you will get more out of your
marketing efforts and ensure your clients know what products and services you provide. Besides the enhanced
professionalism these online resources provide, your clients will be up to date with your latest and greatest
achievements. Armed with this knowledge they will get the opportunity to look smart when they tell their friends
what you are up to, so everybody wins!
Michael McDerment has been offering Search Engine Marketing Consulting Services since 1999. He is the principal
and founder of Anicon.ca (http://www.anicon.ca) and he guest lectures on
Search Engine Marketing at Humber College in Toronto, Canada.
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