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Your Super-fast, Super-easy, No-cost
Web Site
By
Angela Booth
Contributing Writer
Article Date:
2003-03-18
Got a Web site? Come on, 'fess up.
No? OK, assuming you've got a spare five minutes, we're going
to build your first super-easy, super-fast Web page. Look on
this page as a combination calling card and portfolio. It's
not going to make you rich. However, it will make
communication with prospective clients and current clients
super-quick, and get you listed on Google.com so that you gain
credibility.
For this exercise, we're going to
use a site called Online HomeBase.com: http://www.onlinehomebase.com/
I
love this site because it's so useful. It's also free. Don't
be put off by that. In the case of Online Homebase.com free
doesn't mean that it's more overgrown with ads than a vacant
lot is with weeds. No ads. As the site develops more features,
they may start charging a small amount, but as of March 2003,
it's free.
Here's some more info on Online
HomeBase.com:
OnlineHomeBase is an online organizer
and notepad. The wonderful thing about this service is that
you don't have to click your way through dozens of mysterious
menus and fill out endless fields.
Its pages are
called sheets, and that's just what they are --- blank Web
pages with a few buttons along the top.
When you
create a new sheet, you decide the format: blank page,
calendar, columns or column and calendar. Then you just start
typing, or paste in information you've found on the Web, or
that's stored on your computer.
Once you've got the
info in your password-protected OnlineHomeBase account, you
can access it from any computer anywhere and anytime.
You can also share a sheet with other people, by
selecting the "Share" option, so that the page gets a unique
address outside your protected account. This share option
means that you can use a page as a separate, public site, to
post anything you like about you and your business.
Since a sheet on OnlineHomeBase can have 100,000
characters of text, or roughly 20,000 words, you've got
sufficient space to use it as an online portfolio or resume,
or as a mini-site.
(And before you ask, in the
interests of disclosure, NO I don't have an interest in, or
connection with, this company. They've just got a great useful
product, and I like it a lot.)
Before you rush over to
Online HomeBase.com and sign up, we've got some thinking to
do. What will you put on your mini-site/ Web page?
Of
course, you can simply type in the material on your business
card, but since you've got enough space for 20,000 words you
may as well use it.
Here are some ideas of what you
may want to include:
=> Your Unique Selling Point
This is a business page, so we'll start with your
Unique Selling Point (USP). You've already got a business
name, or maybe you're using your own name, that's fine. So
what's unique about your business?
Think about your
business. Who are your clients? Why do they come to you,
rather than to a competitor?
If you're starting out,
and you don't have any clients, what will be unique about you?
If you're a photographer, do you shoot wedding videos?
Portraits?
If you're an artist, do you do graphic
design? What sets you apart from other designers?
If
you're a writer, what do you write? For whom?
Think
about your target audience, and their needs, and slant your
USP to those needs.
=> Testimonials
Browse
through your files, and look for testimonials. You may be like
me. When someone compliments me on work I've done for them I
smile, say "thank you", get a nice warm glow, and then forget
about it. This is not the attitude of a born sales person.
Testimonials can work for you. Someone took the time
to compliment you, so take a moment yourself to not just thank
them for the kind words, but also to ask them if they mind if
you share those words with others.
They always say yes
--- it's a compliment to them, that you think their words are
important enough to share.
=> Your bio
In
last week's Creative Small Biz, we discussed bios and why
they're important to freelancers. We said:
>>
Your freelancer's bio is a vital job-hunting tool.
While traditional job hunters have CVs and resumes,
independent writers and other independent professionals have
biographies, because as an independent, you're working *with*
your clients as a consultant, rather than working *for* them
as an employee.
Yes, bios, plural. You need at least
four bios of various lengths: 200 words, 100, 50 and 25. Over
time, you'll create dozens of bios, as you emphasize your
various strengths to suit a situation.
=> Be
creative: what else could you put on your page?
You
can put anything you like on this page.
Think about
the material you usually send to prospects. Anything you send
out --- especially if it makes a thick, heavy bundle that
costs a mint in postage or courier fees is a candidate.
How about:
* Your media kit;
* Work
samples;
* A list of credits;
* Your client
list; or
* Articles you've written.
OK, enough
reading. Start thinking. Hurry up and create your page --- and
then you'll be able to smile, and say: "Yes of course I have a
Web site. Here's the URL. Drop by
anytime.
About the
Author:
Veteran multi-published author and
copywriter Angela Booth crafts words for your business ---
words to sell, educate or persuade. E-books and e-courses on
Web site. FREE ezines for writers and small biz: http://www.digital-e.biz/
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