1) Why buy from you? Use a unique selling proposition (USP) Doing business without a USP is like doing business without pants -- you'll be just as successful.

In his EXCELLENT book "The E-Myth Revisited," Michael Gerber writes that when they see or hear your business name, people should say: "Oh, you're guys who _____________."

Fill in that blank with your USP.

I was fortunate enough to do online marketing support for FedEx for two years before starting my own business. I learned from best about importance of standing apart from your competition with a USP.

This is most important strategic planning you can do for your small business. If you take time to devise an effective USP, you'll separate yourself from 95% of competition, who probably compete on price, service, or selection.

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2) Follow-up works! You WILL maximize your online sales by following up with your existing prospects and clients.

a) Today, I got a new client 60 DAYS after she first called my Yellow Pages ad. I put here in GoldMine and she replied to SEVENTH email sent to her.

Takeaway: follow up by email at least 5-7 times with prospects, offering new info each time, with a gentle reminder that you're still available to serve them. Use a contact manager, such as GoldMine or Act 2000. Or, use a free autoresponder like GetResponse (http://www.guaranteedmarketing.com/get)

b) Another new client just paid for my services TWO YEARS after subscribing to my ezine.

Takeaway: you must publish a newsletter and gather email addresses from visitors to your Web site. This is like printing money. Use listbot.com or another service to distribute your ezine.

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3) Keep your Web site instructions simple. A confused customer will just say NO to your Web site and your business. Here are 4 methods that have worked for me online since 1995:

a) Number and letter your instructions (I'm doing now!)

Tell them: "You can order in 3 easy steps," them limit yourself to 3 (or however many) steps ... and make those steps EASY.

b) Tell them it's easy.

Words like, "easy," "fast," "quick," and "simple" work wonders when explaining to customers how to use your site, place an order, etc.

c) Tell them what to expect.

Your customers don't like surprises, especially when ordering. Tell them when their credit card will be processed, name of company that will appear on their bill (to avoid chargebacks), and number to call with questions.

For best example I know of how to walk customers through ordering process, see how it's done at amazon.com!

d) Less is more.

A great way to generate traffic is to create publicity about your company. Submitting articles to off and online publications can create interest in you, your company, and your web site.

One piece of good publicity about your company can be 1000% more effective than best ad you can come up with. Why? Because people believe news. "If it's in news, it must be true!"

Gaining publicity with articles is both time and cost effective, and it's something you can do immediately. You can't say that about advertising. Besides, ads lose their impact almost immediately. Articles can generate traffic to your web site for years. We ought to know. One of our articles that was published over a year and a half ago still brings web site traffic our way.

Forget about paying a public relations agency hundreds to thousands of dollars to maybe gain some exposure. Getting traffic to your web site is not about spending lots of money. It's about knowing how and where to submit articles in order to get results. Here are some helpful tips: