by Wendy Burge
Whenever we start a new business there is a sense of excitement, maybe even a bit of fear, and always a massive learning curve. All the new experiences of running a business can be taken in strife, as we tell ourselves, “This is just what it takes to get things rolling.” However, how long after starting your business did you begin to notice you were losing your days to working? Not just the stuff you did with your clients, but, all the other items that take time and are necessary for running a business?
I know from first-hand experience that it was not long after starting my business I realized I had not created a new business for myself, I had actually created multiple new jobs! My idealistic sense of entrepreneurial freedom was quickly vanquished by the on-going tasks of running my business-bookkeeping, administrative tasks, marketing, product and service development, and, networking-on top of working with my clients. It was then I began to look for help as I just could not keep my head above everything. Fortunately with some help, I discovered the power of leverage-the secret to freeing up time, getting more things done, and the key to making more money in business. The best tool available to do this in small business is the internet. Because of the internet small businesses have more resources at their finger tips with just the click of a button.
Here are three ways you can use the internet to help leverage your business in gaining business growth and keeping you sane as a small business owner:
1. Outsourcing tasks to virtual team members has become the best trend in small business to happen in many years. Virtual professionals offer their services like an employee-but without the added cost. Through the help of the internet, email, virtual business tools, and communication technologies like Skype, it is easier to utilize the services of a well-qualified person to assist with your administrative duties, marketing, bookkeeping, customer service, and more. Solo-professionals can hire a VA (virtual assistant) by the hour or by the task to help free up time-consuming administrative duties which are taking much of their days. By identifying tasks that can be delegated to someone else, business owners can focus on higher pay-off activities like working with clients, developing products or services, or focusing on those things you love to do in your business. In Canada, associations like the Canadian Virtual Assistant Connections and Canadian Virtual Assistant Network are helping change the frontiers for small businesses by creating a resource hub for virtual assistants to connect with businesses in order to assist with their specialty services. (And for some of my readers in other countries, this holds true as well in your area, just Google virtual assistant associations in your country and you will find numerous resources.)
2. People power is not the only gift with which the internet has blessed small businesses. There are numerous web-based tools allowing businesses to take advantage of programs that can put communication and marketing systems on auto-pilot. Tools like auto-responders can be programmed up to a year in advance with communication emails, online newsletters, and special announcements to prospects and clients. This can greatly help with marketing campaigns. Communicating with prospects and clients on a regular basis is easy to do with these types of programs. Best of all, once the content is in place and scheduled, you know they will get effective follow up in the marketing of your services with specific messages continuously strengthening your business position. These systems can be added to your website leveraging your sales message 24 hours a day, regardless, with programs like Getresponse orAweber.
Case in point, I was able to format my ezine and schedule it for mail out today – Wednesday March 18, yet, I am out of my office today while I spend some time with my boys this week for spring break. For the past 5 years, I have used an email marketing program called Constant Contact that has allowed me to provide consistent email campaigns with newsletters and event promos; I love that I can schedule items ahead at times when I want to take time off as well.
3. Making money for your business on line, 24 hours a day, is also now possible by monetizing your websites with shopping carts and affiliate programs. Long gone are the days of websites as digital brochures. Nowadays, websites can act like your own personal sales force open to do business on your behalf 24/7/365 around the globe. Websites can inform people how you can help them with your services or products. Then, by leveraging this with a shopping cart feature, viewers can purchase right there and then online. Well known programs such as PayPal.com or 1Shoppingcart.com do great jobs in assisting this process. There are many other programs too, that also offer multiple functions to support shoppers as well.
Furthermore, you are not limited to selling your own services or products either. Many larger businesses, programs, and information marketers offer affiliate programs; these are referral programs. If you feature their product on your site and someone chooses to purchase it, each sale pays out a commission. For example, let us say that you want to recommend books on your website. An affiliate account would be established with a company like Amazon.com. On your site you would place your book recommendation along with a link for the option to purchase the book through your site. The reader is taken to Amazon to purchase that item. For each sale a commission would be made.
There are thousands of products out there that are accessible for affiliate programs. A well-known site called Clickbank is a hub for businesses and people offering affiliate programs for their services and products. If at all appropriate for your site, placing Google Adwords is also an option to monetize your website. Your site is used as a “billboard” of sort for ads related to your site’s content. Each time someone clicks through an ad, again, you gain a commission.
In the corporate world, leverage happens efficiently because of the vast resources they have to tap into helping move business growth quickly. Now, the power of leverage is no longer out of reach for small business owners anymore either, thanks to the help of the internet. Small businesses can leverage growth with great resources helping them bring more freedom and profitability to their owners.
© 2009 Wendy Burge – Radiant Edge Consulting.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Conscious Business & Marketing Coach Wendy Burge publishes the On the Edge! weekly ezine–Where business, marketing, and lifestyle meet. If you’re ready to have radiant marketing, make more money, and have more freedom in your small business, get your FREE tips now at www.RadiantEdgeConsulting.com
