For many entrepreneurs, non-profits, and businesses, having an online presence has become a “must-do” in order to compete in today’s highly interconnected world. Many have created websites that describe their business offerings and to attract potential customers who are increasingly looking online to either shop - or to find out where to shop - to purchase the items they want.

Most websites suffer from a “flat” user experience - that is, dry or static content on a website that merely attempts to describe a set of products or services. Without enriching the user experience, the potential customer is easily bored and will move on to other sites, especially when they are more impressed through a richer user experience.

This assumes that a potential customer has even found your site in the first instance! Unless referred directly to your site from a trusted source, things like “blast email marketing” tend to get filtered through “spam blockers” and never reach the attention of those they target. Left alone, search results from the top search engines used by consumers today (such as Google, Yahoo, MSN, AskIt.com, etc.) return millions of results of which only a few are ever viewed.

Successful online marketing strategies often include search engine optimization - or SEO - to increase the volume and quality of traffic from search engine results to a web site. No argument will be presented here to diminish the value of any strategy that increases the quality of visitors to a web site! However only as a means to an end - and if the end game is to create sustainable new customer connections, then SEO on its own is not enough. A flat user experience is still a turn off to potential customers.

For business development and to derive more value from your customer - such as repeat business, word-of-mouth referrals, and new product ideas - consider drawing potential customers who reach your web-site into a rich, interactive environment that really impresses. Consider adding social media tools such as blogs, comment sections, testimonial submissions, discussion threads, RSS aggregation engines, and even direct interaction through instant messaging. And by extending the interactions to include invites to a social network (or social networks) of people who share similar interests and values, businesses are able to pursue a strategy that builds lasting, values-based, life-long relationships with customers. Make this a primary objective and many new opportunities will present themselves.

- Steve Benton

Partner & Founder -- New Vine Media