Pick Up the Slack	Visited: 1147 Not rated Rate: Select 1 - Terrible 2 - Poor 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Outstanding
by Bob Osgoodby October 18, 2003

Many people in business on the Internet try to market only one product. If the demand for that product is weak or if the demand dries up, they are virtually out of business. Smart entrepreneurs however diversify their offerings, and if the demand is slow for one product or service, the others usually pick up the slack.

If you have a web site, and if you are trying to do business on the Internet, this is a must. You can feature your diverse offerings there. Strategically placed ads should point people to your web site, and if you have diversification, an added advantage is that your advertising is doing double duty.

People may be attracted to your site by an ad for one product or service. When they get there they will see your other offerings, and might purchase one of them, which may not be what attracted them there in the first place.

But here is the real thing that everyone who has a web site must realize. You seldom make a sale on the first visit someone makes, and there must be a reason for them to come back. There are a number of ways to get repeat visitors. Contests have always been a big draw, and this can take several forms. Most people can't afford to give away "high ticket" items on a regular basis, but there are a number of low cost alternatives. Informational products are always a good bet.

Sticky Web Sites are a hot button these days. So what is a "sticky" web site. I guess an acceptable definition is one that gets the people to "stick around" because there is good content there. There are no real criteria for good content as that depends on the focus of your site. The bottom line is that if people like what they see they will return.

If you expect people to come back and be a repeat visitor, you must not only have high quality content, but it must also have changing content. Your web site must also be recognizable as far as its name is concerned. Meaningful names today however, are not easy to acquire. As Dr. Kevin Nunley reported, "A recent survey showed that of the 25,000 words we commonly use in the English language, more than 93 percent are already registered as domain names."

This means we have to be a bit creative when registering your URL. Forget about the long names that have no relation to an actual company. I'm reminded of the following joke:

"Jack loved going to the Web, and decided to have his own web site. His URL was "MickeyGoofyPlutoMinnie.com" and I asked why it was so long.

"Because," Jack explained, "they say it has to have at least four characters."

While this is a bit extreme, you get the point.

Some special characters such as a dash are permitted and so are numbers. We recently registered http://www.1-webwiz.com. While not the most creative name, it is easy to remember. As an added bonus, we have a different server for this addresses so that in the event one is down, or has a long term problem, it is an easy matter to switch. All of these are tools at your disposal to sell your product or service. Not only should your offerings be diverse, but so should your method of delivery.

Diversification is important in any business, but in one as "fickle" as the Internet, it is a must.