If your business interacts with people then you stand a very good chance of growing it through owning an Outlet on the web.

• You must be committed to your site development
• Do not treat it as an advertisement
• Manage your site as if it was a 'high street' outlet.

The most common mistake is to consider the web sites function only as a sales channel. In many cases it will be totally inappropriate for selling direct but may have considerable scope in supporting the traditional sales channel. Research has shown that most small businesses operate in the service sector. In this case the web site becomes an information resource, showcase, or help desk, where people can find out more about you and your service.

Retailers on the other hand may find it daunting to sell direct through the web site when starting out. If so, then it can be used effectively for providing information about your product range, its uses and benefits with a view to encouraging a traditional sale at your premises. With growing confidence consider selling online to reap the rewards of your Internet presence.

Your web site will only attract quality enquiries if it is promoted to your target customers. Try to produce a profile of your prospective customer and then find web sites and forums where they are likely to visit. These are places where you may be able to place links to your site or participate in forum discussions that will drive traffic to you.

Your web address should be included in all correspondence and advertising. If people have difficulty contacting you directly, e.g. phone busy, away on holiday etc. then they have recourse to your web site where their enquiry may be answered from your informative web pages.

A warning - The recognition time for a new web site can take time. You should allow six weeks for Search Engines to index your site, using their free service, and possibly a few months to start receiving quality enquiries. Of course, the marketability of your goods or service is an important factor. Those in high demand can result in enquiries or sales within days of site publication. Don't forget that enquiries may ebb and flow due to seasonal variations or the economic climate.

Three benefits of a web site for your business:

• Saves Time. It can be a 24hr Virtual Sales Person
• Lower overheads. Your Internet presence is like opening an outlet in the High Street, but at much lower cost.
• Reach. Whether you want to reach globally or deeper into your local community it will increase your business exposure.

The first thing you need to do is develop an Internet Marketing Plan using our planning template.