It was a cool, crisp morning, not what you’d expect on Memorial Day in late May. I was out for a run, my thinking time, where I can usually clear my head of all the tiny details and focus on the big picture. Earlier this morning, I’d been watching a webinar on marketing and it made me think about what business we were in. A few days ago, I’d made a list of keywords that described our business which included descriptions such as website design, content management systems, website development, web marketing, and search engine optimization. I could go on, it was a long list, but it reminded me that we wear many hats. All these definitions are true and do describe the activities, methods and tools we use to help businesses be successful, but none of them convey what our business does. What’s the purpose, the goal, the essence of what we do? In a moment of endorphin induced clarity it came to me. We help businesses do what they do to sell their products, only we help them do it better. How? We help them gather leads, build customer loyalty and brand awareness, and most importantly, increase sales and profits utilizing the power of the Internet, with tools such as search engine optimized website designs, blogs and other social networking programs, email and pay per click campaigns and, most importantly, an ongoing education in the latest ever changing techniques necessary to be successful on the Web. What business are we in? We’re a Web enabled marketing organization that helps businesses excel at what they do.

Now it’s your turn. What business are you in?

I challenge you to step back and look down on your business from above. To help visualize, a sort of out of body experience, pretend you’re on Google Earth looking down on your store or office roof or, if your business is only on the Internet, your customer’s computer. Think about why they’re driving to your spot or navigating to your website. What are they looking for? What do they want? Think very broadly, not about specific products or details but the big picture, the experience. My background in retail sales taught me that customers rarely tell you what they really want. If they tell you they want a spa for therapy what they really want is to feel good. If they tell you they want a gas stove that puts out 30,000 BTUs, what they really want is to be warm and comfy on cold Winter nights. There are features and there are desires. What do your customers desire? When you can answer that you will know what business you’re in. Now think of the Internet as the ultimate communication device. There is no more productive and cost effective way to reach your potential customers, so use your website, your blog, Facebook and Twitter to give them what they desire, then keep that relationship going. Think of it as a lifetime connection. Give them a product or service that leaves them feeling better off than they were before, stay in touch with additional benefits in the form of help, support and tips, and you will have a loyal fan for life. Our job is to enable you to reach that goal which will make you satisfied and happy. Isn’t that what you desire?

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