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HOW TO MERCHANDISE YOUR WEB SITE.
Tell the world you’ve got it.

What are you doing with your web site? Sitting back and waiting for the world to beat a path to your door? Remember what we say about Better Mousetraps: you have to let the world know yours exists.
     Well, sure, you say, but isn’t that what search engines are for?
     It would be nice if it were actually that simple. But if you rely totally on search engines to direct traffic to your site, the path to your door is going to be overgrown rather than beaten.
     There are four ways people can get to your site: 1) they find you on a search engine, 2) they follow a link from another site to yours, 3) they click on a banner or search engine ad (you pay for) or 4) they type in your address or click on a bookmark.
     Since this is a piece on site merchandising, we will look only briefly at the first three methods.
     1) Creating visibility with search engines is a fine art that involves keyword phrases and an intimate knowledge of the constantly shifting algorithms of search engines. If indexing is a black art to you, you’ll have to find a better way. Or hire an expert to do the job for you.
     2) If you are able to link with other sites, do so. Linking can capture attention for you from other sites, and it boostst visibility with the search engines as well.
     3) A banner ad or text ad on a search engine results page is paid advertising, web style, and it is an excellent tactic, if you have the dollars.
     Okay, let’s say you have done 1.) through 3.) or you can’t afford to do it, or you don’t want to do it.
     But if you have a web site, you must be expecting company. And if you are in business today, folks expect you to be on the web. Potential customers want to look you over; they want information on your company, products or services. So here are some tips for merchandising your site.

• Go out of your way to tell people about your web site. Include your web address on EVERYTHING. You don’t even have to spell out an invitation to” “See us on the web at www....Today that prefix says it all.
• Put your web address on your letterhead and business cards
• Add your address to your current advertising.
• Announce your address through a postcard mailing.
• Offer an incentive to pull folks to your site.

     Can’t afford a big media campaign? Run as many mini ads as you can afford that prominently feature your web address and suggest that something valuable (information or sales items) is waiting on your site.
     Not everyone needs to be “discovered” by search engines. Some folks create a web site simply to build credibility. And there are web sites that exist solely for the purpose of talking to present customers and clients.
     Now that you have a web site, act like the homely hen crowing about her single egg. Tell the world you’ve got it.

KNOWING WHICH BUTTON TO PUSH.
It's What You Know That Counts.

The plant went down with a crash. Died in the traces. It was the industrial equivalent of the wonderful one-hoos shay. Technicians and managers went scampering all over the facility, tinkering, tunking, tampering and trying to coax things back to life. Nothing worked, and desperation reigned.
     Finally the plant manager and the Chief Operating Officer admitted the solution was beyond the means and expertise of the staff. The needed a real expert—an outside consultant. So they placed a frantic call. The trouble-shooting ace said he’d pack his Superman cape and be right there.
     The pro arrived and hung up his overcoat. He looked the situation over. He squinted his eyes in a Clint Eastwood way, then he walked into the bowels of the plant. People watched respectfully, and some held their breaths.
     The consultant pulled open the door of a little metal box on the side of a monstrous machine. He put out his hand, and with his right forefinger, he touched a button.
     The plant sprang to life. Lights came on, machines hummed, systems resumed vigorous activity.
     The plant manager wrung his consultant’s hand. The CEO, overcome with relief, clapped him on the back. “This is wonderful,” he gushed. “What do we owe you?”
     “Four thousand dollars,” replied the consultant.
     “Four thousand dollars!” gasped the CEO. “All you did was walk over and push a little button on the side of that machine.”
     “That’s true,” said the consultant with a smile. “And if you’d known which button to push, you could have done the same thing.”
     Sometimes you have to be willing to pay for what people know.

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?
Be Specific. Say Exactly What You Mean.

BETCHA DIDN'T KNOW.
Courtesy of Dr Robert Amsterdam.

Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'?  
A. One thousand  
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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?  
A. All were invented by women.  
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Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?  
A. Honey  
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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?  
A. Father's Day  
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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.  
When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... 'goodnight, sleep tight.'  
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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.  
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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.'  
It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's'  
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Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle' is the phrase inspired by this practice.  
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At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!