make your online business shineLet’s be honest: there is an awful lot of competition online. This means that you have to work really, really hard to outshine the competition. Fortunately however, there are a number of relatively simple and easy ways to make your online business shine. It’s all a matter of having the right kind of perspective when you approach things. Here’s what you need to know:

Be Passionate

I’ve mentioned this before and it’s still very valid. The fact is that if you have to run a business which you really don’t care much about, you will find that you are simply not able to keep it running effectively. People will quickly notice this and will look for someone who does know something about their business.
This kind of reminds me of the time when I was in Walmart at the computer department and asked a question about a CD RW drive (this goes back a few years). The person I asked ostensibly worked in the computer department but also clearly showed by Walmart had and has a reputation for hiring poor quality workers. This woman turned the box over and started reading to me what the back of the box said. I took it from her and said politely, “I learned to read in first grade thank you.”
Unless you can offer more enthusiasm for your business than a Walmart employee, you’ll find that you are unable to make money at it also.

Make It Look Good

There was a time when someone who wanted to create a good quality website needed to spend tens of thousands of dollars for a professional website programmer. The sites were largely hand coded and really did take hours and hours of work.
Today however, it’s possible to use WYSIWYG software which will show you exactly what your site will look like. It will include the same drop down menus and fancy designs as you can find on the very best websites of the biggest companies. This means that you too can make your site look good – it just takes a small amount of time and a relatively modest investment to make it happen these days.

Get Your Name Before the Public

I wrote about doing publicity stunts on the cheap before and I’ll be doing more stories on ways to do free PR in the future however all of these ultimately mean getting your name out there, before the public. So go and do it so that you can ensure that your site really does shine and that it does get noticed.

Offer Customer Service

As I’ve said before, customer service these days has become something of an oxymoron. This means that simply responding without an automated response and in a timely manner to requests for information can make your online business shine.

Be Unique

Finally, be unique and show your customers why they have a reason to notice you above and beyond anyone else. You need to create a brand name for yourself and your company if you want to truly make your website and business shine online.