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NB: This newsletter is published every Monday. Point your browser to www.spontaneousdevelopment.com/sdnuggets to read at least ONE new post added to my SD Nuggets blog on a different category from Tuesday till Saturday (sometimes even Sundays) in line with this publishing schedule 
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No. 125: Don’t Be Penny Wise, Pound Foolish In Your Business Marketing
“What? You want to build a website for your business? That’s going to make you spend money every year for hosting and domain name registration!” exclaimed the IT consultant (NOT a typo!) friend to my Chartered Account client.
Looking at my client to see his reaction, I thought to myself: “Hmm, this is going to be interesting!”.
My Chartered Accountant Client Replied as Follows…
“Well, I’ve thought about it, and I know it’s necessary.
When I attended the 3 month course in the US last year, the course facilitators told us to establish a respectable professional image for ourselves from the outset.
To achieve that end, they recommended putting up a decent website to help us formally establish our individual brands, which we can nurture over time.
Most importantly, they noted that communicating with prospects, clients or professional colleagues should always be done from our official website email accounts, and not any of the free services e.g. Yahoo.com.
According to them, it’s the best way to command respect from those who encounter us.”
My Client’s Answer Impressed Me…and Made His IT Consultant (!) Friend Nod In Silent Understanding
I’ll leave you to wonder how an IT consultant would need his Chartered Accountant friend to explain the importance of investing in a website for his business!
But in case you wonder about the web based email aspect mentioned above, let me elaborate.
Tayosolagbade@hotmail.com (does not exist), would be an unprofessional email address to use in corresponding with a prospective client. This is why I use tayo at tksola dot com for example. The recipient, if a bit savvy, would readily deduce that typing www.tksola.com leads to my personal website.
Many highly qualified and intelligent professionals continue to use free mail services for their business communication. This waters down their credibility – especially before colleagues and prospects abroad (Europe, America etc) where such practices are frowned upon.
Don’t Be Miserly &/or Unintelligent In Promoting Your Brand!
Assuming you do not intend to do any updating of your website content, or to invest time or effort in propagating your content across other channels, only two “tasks” will concern you:
Payment for Domain Name Registration and Website Hosting.
Based on what I do for my clients, I know both can be had for $40 or less per annum.
You do the math.
Most people spend multiples of that amount buying food and drinks, making phone calls, entertaining friends etc in a month!!
The funny thing is, the business promotion benefits of a well package online presence will pay back that money many times over in a short period of time.
Here’s how: It will save you money by helping you minimize – or even eliminate – certain traditional marketing expenses. And it will also boost your sales leads generation = MORE income.
Some people subscribe to all sorts of smart phone based services that cost more than this amount.
I know people like that – “big business men and women”!
They use laptops and smart phones for their work, yet refuse – and I mean REFUSE (!) – to put up websites of their own.
But they readily give “gifts” to key officers in client companies, and also pay large sums for newspaper ads, that often expire in 24 hours! (A very unwise way to spend money)
I was once stupid enough to drag one such person, kicking and screaming (figuratively speaking), to put up a little Joomla! based website. He abandoned it within the first month…and of course never renewed the domain name or hosting.
Here’s One Reason Such Business Owners Act In That Strange Manner
NB: What I’m about to say now is based on my observations in my part of the world.
With the exception of individuals who genuinely needed it explained to them, most others have a negative attitude towards using web marketing because they practice what I describe below:
They use connections and other “underground methods” to win jobs. So they feel there’s no point “wasting” money nurturing their brands online.
In other words, their atttitude is often a reflection of how they make money in their businesses.
What I Have Continued to Tell Them Is: Things Will Not Always Remain the Same
That’s why it always pays to be proactive. To anticipate that a new dispensation can emerge, in which what worked before, may no longer work…at least not as well as it used to.
Here’s a scenario I often ask them to consider…
One day, you could walk into the reception hall of your major client company, and find a new face there. Smiling politely, s/he may ask who you wish to see and demand you take a seat(instead of instantly ushering you upstairs like the previous job holder used to do).
When eventually she speaks with the decision maker, you may be shocked to learn he wants to know why you wish to see him. Puzzled, you would ask: “Isn’t that Mr XYZ”.
The receptionist would reply (smiling ever so politely):
“No. Mr. XYZ has been redeployed to the North Pole. It’s Ms ABC who now heads the division. And she insists all consultants send in their profiles, with URLs to their official websites indicated, to facilitate the ongoing review of service providers.”
We all know the above painted scenario can – and does – occur.
Question: Would You Be Prepared to Respond If/When Asked to Submit a Profile With Your Website URL?
From what I see in my part of the world, not many business owners – especially self-employed professionals/experts – would be.
Many seem to be under the mistaken impression that only big companies need to own websites. And most, for some strange reason, seem to have convinced themselves that $50 US dollars per annum is too much money to pay!
But that’s not the only problem.
You would imagine that those who’ve gone ahead and put up websites would have no problems making use of them.
In many cases, I’ve discovered they have little on their websites that make them look good enough to be chosen by clients.
And I mean useful information, not flashy design or pretty pictures!
Indeed, many with websites often leave really outdated content on them – which is even worse!
I’ve harped on this many times in the past. When the most recent content update on your website has a date stamp from 2 years ago, it creates a very bad impression about you.
Your brand’s image is determined by the perception people have of it. You can shape people’s perception using what you put out for them to see.
A physical meeting with you today is likely to be followed up with “Googling” of your name and a visit to ANY link that turns up. If your website appears, whatever that person sees on it will determine how his/her perception of you will evolve.
So will anything s/he finds on Twitter, Facebook, or any other platform s/he considers relevant.
Final Words: It Takes Very Little Money to Nurture Your Brand Online
This is the irony of it all.
Compared to the immense potential your online presence has to determine how seriously your target audience takes you, just a few dollars per month are all you will need to maintain it!
It therefore amounts to being penny wise, and pound foolish – in my considered opinion – for any serious minded business owner or professional, to balk at doing that.
All of the above is especially relevant to you as a business owner!
If you fail to do it, your success is bound to be limited. Others you will get measured against, who do it, will often fare better!
That’s not a curse…it’s simply the statement of an inevitable consequence, of what would be a bad decision on your part.
Let me end with an example to drive this point home…
Burt Dubin, the renowned mentor, of some of the world’s highest paid international speakers ALWAYS tells those he coaches to put up and maintain a professional online presence.
And for over 2 decades, he has practiced what he preaches at www.burtdubin.com and www.speakingsuccess.com.
Go thou and do likewise!
Tayo K. Solagbade*
Self-Development/Performance Improvement Specialist
*Sole Agent For Burt Dubin’s Speaker Mentoring Service In Africa
Mobile: +234-803-302-1263 (in Nigeria) or +229-66-122-136 (in Benin Republic)
http://www.spontaneousdevelopment.com
Self-Development/Performance Enhancement Specialist – Tayo Solagbade – works as a multipreneurial freelance writer providing zero risk article and report writing support for website owners, while travelling slowly across West Africa as a Location Independent Multipreneur.
He’s presently based in Benin Republic, where he’s preparing an English-French Language Guide, City Travel Guides, and a Commercial Rabbit Farming Guide.
He earns multiple streams of income providing clients with performance improvement training/coaching, custom MS Excel-VB solutions, web marketing systems, freelance writing services, and best practice extension support services (for farm business owners).
In a previous life, before leaving to become self-employed, Tayo served for seven years as a high performing manager in Guinness Nigeria. He rose from Shift Brewer, to Training & Technical Development Manager, then later acted in senior management roles as Production Manager and Technical Manager.
When he’s not amazing clients with his superhuman skills (wink), Tayo works as the creative force behind his Self-Development Nuggets™ blog, and Public Speaking IDEAS newsletter (which he publishes to promote Burt Dubin’s Public Speaking Mentoring service to experts working across the African continent).
For a limited time, Tayo is available to speak to your group or organization for a moderate fee. Send e-mail to tayo at tksola dot com. You can also visit www.tksola.com to learn more.
Connect with him on Twitter @tksola.com and Facebook.
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