Ka-ching! How I paid off my shiny new website in just 24 hours

Regular readers of this blog will be more than familiar with our stance on the digital doomsayers – business operators who criticise and abuse this amazing communications medium instead of bothering to research the true state of the medium.

But no communications medium before it has provided such a low cost channel to market or low cost lead generator for business.

Take the case of fledgling business operator Lisa Regester for example.

Taking the plunge into small business

Lisa had recently left the security of her full-time employment to embark on the exciting but equally scary option of her own business as a “virtual personal assistant”.

Having completed a small business course and sought advice on what she would need to succeed, I assisted Lisa with her first “corporate ID” (logo, colour scheme, etc) and new website and website management platform.

As far as investment levels, we come in pretty affordably, however, Lisa also understood that you get what you pay for, so was prepared to pay to do things well and professionally.

Before long she had a corporate ID and website that she could proudly show off to others – so much so that she posted the news of the website launch to her 111 Facebook friends.

Viral effects kick in

No more than one day later, she received a phone call from a business operator she had never heard of.

“Oh, I saw your new website after a friend re-posted your link,” the caller said. “I’ve been looking for someone who provides that kind of service”.

Almost before she hung up from the call, she called me to tell me what had happened.

“Your work has just paid for itself,” she said. “I’m in the running for a piece of business that will not only pay for your work, but also provide a healthy profit to boot!”

As it turns out, much to her excitement, she was awarded the business a few days later. And yes the value of the contract was far greater than her total outlay on her new promotional vehicles.

So now, anything else she receives via her website is simply cream – not that she doesn’t have to work for it, but you get my drift.

There are three key morals of Lisa’s story:

1. The “multiplier” effect of multiple online marketing techniques

While professional websites alone will still provide good and even great ROI, the combination of your website with another web marketing technique like social networking provides the spark for your viral explosion.

Add another technique, like search engine marketing or email marketing and the effect multiplies in turn.

2. You get what you pay for

The next moral of the story is to not scrimp on this vital online face of your business.

While she didn’t pay big city advertising agency rates, she spent enough to ensure that she received something that would give her competitors something to think about and that ultimately, could generate results.

3. Your personal network will willingly promote your business

You get by with a little help from your online friends.

As we have pointed out here before, social networking is about people and not about business.

Because Lisa was telling a personal story – that of her enthusiasm for her new business and subsequent website, her friends were more than happy to give her a viral hand by commenting and telling others about it – at many times the speed of ordinary word-of-mouth.

So next time you hear someone say “the internet’s to blame” for their business woes, ask them if they followed a path similar to Lisa’s or whether they either scrimped or just hoped it was a fad that would go away and leave them alone.

Just like the online markets that are searching for suppliers like them – but instead finding their competitors, as you read this post.

This is no isolated incident. There are many business operators who have gained brilliant ROI from their online presence. They are just too busy dealing with orders to respond to the anti-internet tirade you have heard so much about.