Using Internet to grow
your business
As an independent professional, a self employed freelancer or a small business
owner one of the most challenging tasks is marketing. You know how to do what
it is you do really well, you know you can offer value to people, you just don’t
know how to locate people (prospects) and convince them to use your services
or products (become customers).
One of the most powerful techniques in marketing is to step into the shoes of
your ideal client and brainstorm how they would find your business. This helps
you to refine who exactly your target market are and what would be the best
marketing methods to communicate your message to them.
I bet right now if you used this technique on your business one of the first things
you would think of is the yellow pages. Most people automatically go to the
yellow pages because that’s how people find businesses. Coaches, counsellors,
plumbers, bookkeepers, financial advisors, consultants - any need can be met by
‘letting your fingers do the walking’.
The Internet Search Revolution
The Internet is fundamentally changing how people find things. The physical
Yellow Pages, the big yellow book, is becoming superseded by web search.
People use websites like Google, Yahoo! and MSN Search to find answers, buy
products, and locate professional service providers. Not to be left behind, the
Yellow Pages have reacted to the shift and have worked hard to make a web
version of their directory available. It’s quite clear that the future is online and you
can’t risk being left behind.
Thankfully it’s early days and most small business are reacting slowly or badly,
either not bothering to have a web presence at all or not thinking things through.
It’s very common for a small business to slap a poorly conceived website online,
hoping that somehow people will find it and become new clients. This is an
opportunity for individuals that take their time and use smart tactics to create a
purposeful website focusing on a specific niche.
I would hazard a claim that for many small businesses, including yours, the web

the main principles to make the Internet work for you as a marketing tool. This is
the first article in a seven part series aimed to teach independent professionals
and small business owners the process of establishing a website that sells and
how to build a client base using just online marketing.
Yaro Starak
Small Business Marketing & Branding