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Making e-Friends
The Web is an inherently lonely place. One person sits in front of one keyboard and one mouse, watching one glowing monitor as Web sites load - one byte at a time. The corporate end of the Web is even lonelier due to the cutthroat nature of e-business. It's a dog-eat-dog world, and your competitors are just standing by waiting with the ketchup.
You can protect yourself from Web vultures with a simple tactic: make some friends. Teaming up with the right people can drastically improve your chances of survival, especially in today's economy. The trick is finding the right friends for the right reasons.
"Single Blue Web site, likes walks by the lake"
People won't just come to you to "buddy up." If they did, I wouldn't be writing this. There's a certain amount of research that needs to go into any Web partnership if you plan on it being effective. The biggest factor, though, is finding a company who's Website can compliment yours in some way. The goal of their site should also be clear-cut. If you do your research right, you won't need to place a personals ad to find a partner.
Scratch my back, I'll scratch yours
Like any normal friendship, you should benefit your new Web buddies as much as they do you. The question, of course, is what you can do for each other.
One of the most common partnerships between sites is advertising. Providing one another with a link to their site can be mutually beneficial, because all of their traffic is suddenly made aware of your business, and may translate into new customers. You can even set up an affiliate-style click-through program with your partner, paying per link click or for each of your sales generated through their site. In this case, it would hold true that it takes money to make money, but they will appreciate it and will be likely to return the favor. Likewise, the potential business you can provide to your friends means positive feedback for you down the road.
"Water twice each week..."
Your e-friendships need to be cared for just as any other friendship. Lack of communication and unfair treatment can hurt or destroy the relationship very quickly, so be sure to regularly check in on your affiliate. Remember, you are both in it for personal gain, but you need to take care of others to take care of yourself.
Make the best of your affiliations with other sites. Finding the right partners can be the difference between being good and being the best.
Rebecca Lang is founder of Lang Design, Inc. an Internet web design and development with an emphasis on marketing website business. Serving businesses nationwide, we are located in Wilmington, Delaware, just south of the Philadelphia Metro area.
Permission granted to reprint this article only if source is cited. |
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