I would like to go on a journey with you . . .

I would like to go on a journey with you.  My goal: to make sense of the web in a way you may not have considered before. The web is more than a random collection of websites. It has a structure and a meaning to it that, if you understand it, you can use to the advantage of your business. I would like to expose that inner structure and show you how to structure your website, and indeed your entire business.

We are no longer in a position, whether we run small local businesses or businesses that aspire to sell products and services worldwide, to merely view the web as a marketing tool, or an ecommerce site or a distribution channel. We must start thinking of it as the primary organizing principle of our business. It is more important than the “real” world it mirrors. And in the coming year or two it will become obvious to everyone that a new order of business is emerging. These will be businesses, small or large, that are large in their impact on the web. 

The heart of a business is the answer to a simple question: What do you promise? It is a simple question that answers many other questions. It answers, what do you do, why is what you do better than everyone else, and what expectation should I have. The promise your business makes is the reason people want you and need to find you. 

Your promise should be what makes you different. Every business is unique in some way, however small. Your uniqueness is your advantage. It could be your convenience; you’re closer to the main road. It could be your opening hour. Of course it could be much more substantial. You might be the fastest or the cheapest or the best quality. But whatever makes you different and better than your competitors for your customers; that’s your promise. And a certain set of people want that particular advantage. There may not be many of them, or there may be quite a few spread out all over the world, but you need to make sure that every possible potential customer who wants the particular version of product or service you sell with the particular advantage you offer, knows about you so they can buy from you.

Like every other business, you are a secret waiting to be discovered by customers who are looking for someone to make that promise to them. The web, through obvious and unobvious ways, puts you in an extraordinary position to make sure they discover you and your promise. 

If you are interested in knowing more, join me at Made in 48 Hours. And join me on a journey.