When you present your business in writing there are a few critical things to remember:

Whatever else you do your website is usually the place people go to follow up or check you out. It needs to connect with people quickly and to be easy to navigate in order to keep people interested for long enough to get them to take action.

If you’ve got obstacles in their way, some of them will leave. So your website needs to be usable and readable.

If you’ve got a strong message it needs to be on everything you publish. You need to be consistent, clear and concise.

Finally, use your social networks, Twitter and your lists (you have got a list, haven’t you) to keep in touch.
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There are a number of things that are important about creating a website – and the order in which they’re addressed is equally important.

My recommendation is to get one person to project manage your site – ideally someone who really understands what all the elements do and how they work together. However, if you’re determined to do it yourself here’s my recipe for a website that works:

If everything is in place – hit the ‘go’ button!

A word of warning – this is not the end of the story. Websites need constant updates, checking to ensure no links become broken, fresh information, new content – that’s how they get on the search engine rankings, so a good content management system is a smart move.
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I watched most of this series of the Apprentice – and I like Sir Alan Sugar’s irascible approach; it’s definitely good TV. I always wonder about the candidates though, they seem to be lacking in one area – and one that I think is critical – customer service.

Yes, they go for the sales – but at the expense of good quality and an interest in the long term customer relationship. I was surprised that cutting corners, serving up sub-standard food, chocolate that tasted bad and selling cheap and cheerful, but quality-free, items seemed to be the order of the day throughout.

If I wrote websites that way, I would never get a referral or recommendation – and certainly no testimonials.

Sales is a process of communication and relationship management – a quick sale is a one-off. People won’t buy again if they think you’ve flogged them sub-standard goods.

The statistics have proven again and again that it costs far less to keep an existing customer than it does to find a new one – so the profit margins in one-off sales will need to be high to compensate for all that effort.

I know it’s a TV programme and it IS a one-off – but if I’d been on the receiving end of that approach I would have been less than happy.

I’d rather keep the customers I’ve got and let them bring me their associates, suppliers and their customers because they know they get good quality and good service, than keep finding new customers again and again.
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When someone lands on your website where do they go? If I’m hearing you saying that they can choose to go anywhere on the menu, then you’re not using your website properly.

You decide on the journey you want them to take and then lead them by the hand (or the mouse)!

So your home page is where some of them start – where do you want them to go next? Services? Products? Don’t leave them to have to make a decision – tell them where to go next and give them a hyperlink (or, at the most, two) that makes it easy for them to get there.

You should do this exercise for every page – where do you want them to go next? Last para should tell them what to do – and give them the means to do it. So don’t expect them to search for your phone number if you say ‘call us now for more information’, say ‘call us now on 01234 678910′. If you want them to email then the instruction should launch an email already addressed to you.

The menu is great for people who want to explore, but most people don’t want to waste the time – they want to get what they came for – and quickly, so don’t make it hard for them!
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In business your success is often directly linked to the impact you make on other people. We all know people who are very good at something, but aren’t as successful as another person who is maybe not as good at that skill, but really knows how to make an impact and engage people.

Making an impact is ALL about communication – whether it’s:

It is even visible in emails and letters (yes, some people still put things in envelopes and stick a stamp on!)

Of course, your impact can also be made in blogs – like this – in articles that appear online and in the media, in your newsletters and marketing material.

This list is long – and the question is not only are you making an impact, but how consistent is your impact? Do people get the same message from every angle?
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I mentioned the words ‘current economic climate’ on Twitter recently and got a flurry of positive responses along the lines of ‘I refuse to participate in a recession’; ‘What recession?’; ‘I’m busier than ever,’ and so on.

I think that’s great – and you’ve also probably heard the one about ‘The people who market during a recession are several steps ahead of everyone else when the economy improves’. All this has seeds of truth – and certainly I’m not less busy at present, my clients are still asking for web copy, promotional material, articles and blogs. However, I was reading Gihan Perera’s newsletter the other day and he made an excellent point.

Even if you are doing well, some of your clients will be feeling the pinch – and some, frankly, struggling. Their focus has changed – they are less likely to be looking at the long term issues, they’re much more interested in the quick results department.

As a writer this means that they are looking for flyers to get sales rather than brochures for the longer term promotion. They want web copy that delivers customers, not lots of nice informational stuff (and quite right too). They want articles, blogs and newsletters that tell people they’re the best, they’re experts and they’re well-known – to generate leads.

How has the focus for your client’s business changed? And what have you done about it?
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