Business Information for Entrepreneurs by an Entrepreneur

How do you greet visitors when they walk in your business door? You welcome them, ask them to take their coats off and be comfortable, and lead them to the areas in your store where they can find the products that will best serve them.

By the same token, your website should follow the same philosophy. If your website navigation does not aid your online visitors, then it detracts and distracts - and it is sure to lose customers rather than convert them.

To paint a better idea of how navigation can help you convert visitors into sales, here are a few tips:

1. Connect Your Theme - Use cascading style sheets (CSS) whenever possible to keep your website theme and color scheme unified throughout your website. This helps prevent confusion to your visitors.

2. Greet Your Visitors - Just like you would say "hi" or "welcome" in your store, be sure your website main page greets visitors with a simple welcome. Let them know who you are and what you offer to make a great first impression.

3. Limit Your Links - Navigation around your site is all about links. However, be sure you do not overload each page with links. You do not need 3 or 4 links to the same area on your site. Keep links simplified in tabular or sidebar menus.

4. Keep Content Scannable - Avoid making your web page content look like a newspaper article. Online readers do not read content like a book or other printed material. Keep your content brief and concise. Separate sentences and paragraphs with spaces. Include helpful links when appropriate to help readers click to helpful information.

5. Limit Images - Photos and graphics are a great addition to a website. Just be sure to keep them limited in number and size.

6. Avoid the Front Page Splash - If you take only one thing from this article, we ask that it be this: avoid a splash page! This is a "welcome" Flash animation that welcomes visitors when they click on your main URL. It does nothing to promote your site, but rather annoys and delays your visitors from getting to the information they need. A Flash animation welcome page is just that: all flash and no substance.

With these tips, you can warmly welcome visitors to your website - and ensure they stay!

Facebook and Twitter continue to be marketing forces smart business owners are harnessing. Facebook recently announced that it has exceeded 500 million active accounts worldwide, and Twitter continues to grow as a popular microblogging social platform, with over 105 million registered users and over 3 billion hits PER DAY. With these types of numbers, it is foolish not to join the social media marketing freight train.

However, is an account with Facebook and Twitter enough? Can you convey your full message about your business, your products or services, and your company culture in just 140 characters or less? The answer is no.

While you certainly should develop a social media marketing strategy and create accounts on the major social media platforms, you must complement these strategies with a bigger picture. That is why a regular blog on your business website is the perfect companion to your social media.

Your company blog is a place where you can publish your own content at your schedule, and with the information you choose. Consider it your own personal online magazine. You don't have to publish an article or post every day, but at least 2 to 3 times per week. It should contain helpful tips, how-to articles, top 3-5-10 lists, photos, videos, and anything else that promotes your company and your products.

Your social media platform is where you share a link back to your website blog post. This is how you get more people to your website and attempt to move them toward making a purchase. It is not recommended that every one of your social media posts be a marketing message or a link back to your website. In fact, only about 10 percent of your tweets or Facebook updates should contain full-out marketing messages. The other 90 percent should be updates and posts that are fun, engaging, and helpful to your followers or fans.

With a combination of social media and website blogging, you have an excellent strategy to turn your fans and followers into actual customers.

Many believe that banner ads are on the way out. Some say they were a popular online advertising trick back in the late 1990s before the dot-com bust, but now in the world of Web 2.0, banner ads are going extinct. What's the reality?

Banner ads are alive and well. From mom-and-pop online shops to Fortune 500 companies, banner ads are used extensively to convey branding messages to new customers. While the current growing online advertising fad is pay per click text-only ads, banner ads are still prominent in all areas of websites. Just look on the front page of Yahoo! or MSN.com, and you'll notice paid banner advertisements on the right side. Go to any popular blog sites such as Dooce.com or PerezHilton.com, and you'll also notice banner ads galore.

Indeed, it is certainly worthwhile to formulate or continue a banner ad strategy. However, how do you assure that your banner ads are working optimally and to the most advantage? Here are some tips:

• Use Animation - Animated banners attract more attention and have a greater chance of a click through. Whether you use GIF or Flash design, be sure your animation is limited and not looped continuously. 4 or 5 loops are recommended.

• Update Frequently - A banner ad is just like another piece of old furniture in the corner after a few weeks. Be sure you change out your banner ads on a timely basis to keep them fresh.

• Utilize Banner Software - You don't have to be a Flash programming wiz to create a great banner. Use available software programs to help you create the best ad for a very reasonable user fee.

• Link to a Landing Page - Rather than linking to your general home page on your business website, create a specific landing page that gives the user an easy way to close on your offer.

• Use Bright Colors - Use reds, yellows, oranges, and other bright colors to make your banner stand out.

• Offer a Freebie - A simple "Click Here to Receive Your Free (blank)" is a great way to entice readers to click through. It could be a free product, a free e-book download, or simply a free coupon.

• Call to Action - Always provide a call to action prompt in your banner ads. Whether it is simply "Click Here," "Order Now," or just "Click," this gives readers a clear message on what they should do next.

Banner ads were indeed introduced in the 1990s, but with a few updates, you can ensure they remain relevant, modern pieces of marketing material.