The Internet is all too often mistreated and misunderstood as a “place to be,” or “something to be on.” Many companies treat Internet like a billboard, but it’s not. People don’t surf by and see your web site. Your web site is a destination – but not ultimate one (unless you sell your product online).

Thinking of Internet as a billboard or a place causes companies to design web sites that have too much or too little information. For example, a web site that is nothing but a big advertisement is a waste – only people who will visit your site are people who already know about your business, so why big advertisement? And when people do visit, they’re not likely to return. On flipside, a web site that goes on and on and on about history, people, all of services you offer, can quickly contain too much information for it to be valuable.

Rather than thinking of Internet a place to be or something to be on, think of it as a tool. For most companies, their web site is not (or shouldn’t be) main thrust of their marketing efforts. It is one tool in arsenal.

The way to hone tool to be as effective as possible is fairly simple. Start by determining what your web site should accomplish for YOUR BUSINESS. What net output do you desire? If there isn’t really anything you expect to receive from your customers via your web site, you may not need to “be on Internet.”

Most people believe that people don’t like advertising. People don’t like Crisco either. But when it’s combined with other ingredients and baked into a fluffy pie crust they love end result. Some pies are so good that people beg for more and are willing to pay to get them. The same is true with smart advertising. Sound too good to be true? Keep reading.

You may ask, “How could you possibly turn advertising into something as delicious as a pie?” And what does advertising have to do with pies anyway? One word: information. There’s a secret recipe out there that will teach you how to mix your advertising in with valuable information and bake up a tasty little treat that people will rave about, share with their friends, and sometimes even beg for more.

It’s crazy, isn’t it? Imagine if your customers were asking you to advertise to them? But we know companies and professionals whose customers ask them to advertise to them every day. And when your customers ask you to send them your message an important thing happens – they listen (or read).