One of the great tools for cheap marketing is the Internet. You can put a web site up for a few dollars. Typically these are your costs.

The Five Ws: Who, When, Why, Where, What

Any of these can trip you up, so it is good to think about what you are doing

Who: Who are you? Any sales professional will tell you that you’re selling yourself. This identification can be minimal if you are selling stained glass. You need only say something to the effect that you have so many years experience, or that you taught at this or that school. A small picture of yourself is okay, but several large pictures of your work better be showing or you are wasting your time.

If you are selling a service, especially without personal contact, your identification had better be comprehensive. University degrees help, state licenses are also helpful, and if you are in a trade that has little documentation, such as a computer consultant offering a service (me, for instance), it can get very tricky. I have a web site with links to several web sites I wrote for others, so you know what I’m offering. In the case where your potential client must take you on “faith” because you’re an astrologer or some-such, anything goes. Just stay within the law.

When: For most people, it is now. If you are in the planning stages, by all mean write your web site (but be prepared to make many changes once your business is up and running – things change as your needs reveal themselves), but post only a business card like this sample with contact information until you are ready – the idea is that those who are impatient to talk to you will call or e-mail.

Why: Most of us do it for the money, but there are other factors. I like not working for someone else for salary, and I like the product I developed, a generalized computer consulting service dealing with everything a small business or non-profit might need, from small networks, to training employees, to creating their web sites (especially the latter). Money ain’t everything, but is what holds everything else up.

One of the other benefits is that I can be “honest,” by which I mean I don’t have to cut corners because the boss says so. I can occasionally turn down clients whose products I don’t like (just because it’s legal doesn’t mean its ethical – I’ve done it around a half-dozen times in 15 years). Furthermore, you’re mostly dealing with grownups, and bureaucracies are almost completely absent from your life (unless you are dealing with government contracts).

The Why is mostly unstated on any web site, but you better be clear about the Why (at least to yourself) or you will surely fail.

Where: I rarely do business on the net if I don’t know where the outfit is. This doesn’t mean you have to give your house address. The city or area will generally do. More often than not, physical location is important to the product or service. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter much. I’ve written a web site for my brother-in-law’s company, 3000 miles away in NYC. I never met his boss, but the check didn’t bounce. You will notice that when you entered this site, It didn't say exactly where we are located. That's because we do much of our business on-line or through tele-conferencing. If you are curious, we are located in the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area. It's not a secret -- it's just not critical since guerilla marketing can be done from anywhere. But as a business, we are the exception. Psychologically, geographically locating your business makes a lot of sense, especially if you're a small business. People want to feel you're real. We are still a territorial species.

What: What are you selling? As obvious as that question is, not everyone is as clear about it as they might be.

1. A personal product like stained glass. Bless you, you have no problems with identification. Just make sure you’ve got lots of good pictures. Make sure you use a merchant account from PayPal or some such service since many folks are reluctant to give their credit card numbers to strangers (that’s why eBay set up PayPal, to unclog a roadblock to their subscribers’ businesses). PayPal charges a fixed percentage, not a monthly fee, so it is ideal for a small business. Small monthly return, small fee.

2. A third-party product like a spaghetti strainer. The pitch (and coding) will probably be given to you by the manufacturer. You’re just a middle-man. And you will have been asked to lay out gobs of money. Be wary! Ask yourself, would I use this? Would I spend $19.95 plus $6.95 for shipping and handling for it. We see ads for such items on TV, and some look like genuine innovations, but I always ask myself if I would use it. You don’t want a garage or apartment full of stock. Being a middle-man is too much like working for someone else for me.

3. A service you developed. Let’s say you are a licensed masseur. This really has to be thought out carefully. It is likely to be local for one thing, so you want to make sure of your clients. You don’t want to get the wrong idea out. You do this by emphasizing your training, maybe displaying a scan of a city or state license. You talk jargon to some extent (but don’t overdo it), and provide a picture of yourself in the work clothes that is expected of that profession.

Ideally, your business is some sort of combination business. In my case, I supply computer hardware, I set it up, and I train folks. Then I help promote these businesses through my web work.

I have a good technical and general background, having been an aircraft mechanic in the army, an elevator constructor, an office worker, and an insurance salesman (I hated this job because I didn’t like the product. It was legal but not “honest.” Still, I developed sales skills from it. Nothing is ever completely wasted.). In addition, I write fairly well, having been a journalist, and have the gift of gab (I have to work at listening, however, and I’m not always patient – but I manage these obstacles most of the time – none of us is perfect). I try to work to my strengths and overcome my weaknesses through discipline.

Here is an example of what to look out for. A client and a good friend started many successful businesses. He’s one of those people who fills his time trying new stuff. I can’t imagine that he does it entirely for money since he has plenty. It is simply the habit of a lifetime: Like many Americans, he lives for commerce. Here’s one that didn’t work and cost him a couple of hundred dollars.

Recently, an individual of my acquaintance, sent in a couple of hundred dollars to get in on the ground floor of a computer distribution scheme. It's all legal because they will supply any computer you sell, however costly or inappropriate. You do get a commission. The main selling point is on-line technical support for the salesperson to help the user. Who wouldn't buy a computer from an outfit that offers instant and qualified technical support. Isn't that how Gateway and Micron made their name? (Not mentioned [on the web site] is the fact that these two fine firms maintain a staff of skilled salaried technicians manning telephones, and that they design and produce their own computers.) What is wrong with this picture is that my buddy doesn't know anything about computers (well, almost nothing).

After he shelled out his money, he did wonder and asked me to look into it. I checked out the site. Except for the page where you could join by supplying a credit card number, the links appeared to feed back on each other. There was no technical support that I could decipher. And no product information. I couldn't even find out their hardware prices. But instructions on joining were clear as a bell. Like any good "con," most of the message was left to the imagination.

I guess that the advantage to the Internet scheme over an Amway-like sales pyramid scheme is that you don't have to pay commissions to layers of sales people (I'll dub it the "flat-pyramid scheme"). You don't have to have buildings or a lot of stock - just buy whatever you need from a third-party to keep within the edges of the law. You don't need a physical address. And you don't have to worry about the competence of people who comprise your sales force since your main source of income is the entry fee.

The above is from my book review of The Big Con by David W. Maurer. Where an old-fashioned “con” made the “mark” think he was getting something for nothing, new cons make you think you can bypass disciplined self-education and experience for a few dollars. The guys who think up these schemes have plenty of discipline and experience. But it’s all take and no give.

Training courses in how to promote and market products are wonderfully useful, and we offer many first-rate courses. But you have to have a real and useful product. The ideal business provides a living for the individual and a service for the customer. You sleep better too.

Elements of a Good Web Site

Clear Writing: If you have trouble getting your thoughts on paper, get someone else to do it. It’s that simple. I once had a client, a successful financial planner. He wanted a web site done, but offered me no clue as to what he wanted on it. He was vague about what he wanted from it (he had plenty of business already). My attempts at interviewing him were largely unsuccessful despite my background as a journalist. I simply knew too little about his business beyond the fact that he prepared taxes during tax season. I looked around, found promotional material from his trade group, and came up with a clear three-page web site. He is a bright guy, but not everyone can do everything.

Graphics: Yes! Use plenty of graphics. Are you a real estate agent or offer a personal service of some sort, we need to see a picture of you. Go to some wedding photographer. They know exactly how to highlight your face. Dress for your business. If your ace is that wonderful pottery, we want to see lots of examples.

The five Ws: Read it again!.

Design Elements: A good design can be useful, and not necessarily expensive. There are plenty of templates (some free on the internet). Don’t overdo it. The potential client is already on your web site. Get to the point as quickly as possible. You’ve got 30 seconds, tops, to let the party know they’re at the right place.

Coding: Avoid Microsoft’s FrontPage. It favors Internet Explorer which has 60-65% of users. You want to talk to 100% of the people. DreamWeaver is neat, as is Adobe’s Go-Live. I use something called HotDog Professional, but it calls for a deep knowledge of HTML coding. It is basically a text editor with lots of macros.

If you want to learn coding, I recommend Elizabeth Castro’s wonderful primer: HTML for the Worldwide Web. Her Website. My review of an early version of her book (she's now on the Fifth version, but the basics are the same).

Who should do his own, and who should use a professional

If your business is tiny or part-time, and you have time, doing your own is a clear option. If you have a kid or nephew who is a wiz with computers, use him or her, but kids procrastinate – sweeten the deal with cash on delivery. Kids also do not have an adult’s “judgement.” Don’t be afraid to supervise or ask for changes, and do your own copy-editing.

If it is a serious business you are contemplating, and you don’t have a clue as to where to start, or you lack the time, inclination, or nephew, ask your Internet Provider or a friend who has a site. Find someone like me -- mature, intelligent, imaginative, and handsome (well 3 out 4 ain’t bad). Don’t take his word for it. Have a look at what he’s done. All of us are glad to supply a link to our sites

Prepare to train the webmaster. I know almost nothing about glass blowing or financial planning, and I, like any webmaster of any worth, will ask a lot of questions. I treat each website as a magazine, which needs editing, typesetting, and content.

And finally, remember that it isn't rocket science, but you do have to pay attention.

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