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Marketing Your Internet Business on a Slim Budget, 20 November, 1998

"Web Marketing Today" turned three this month with the publication of issue #50. Dr. Wilson's no hype, 'you-can-do-this-too' editorial style has made it a popular read for over 50,000 subscribers monthly.

To mark the third year anniversary, Dr. Wilson is hosting a special chat being held Nov. 20 at 9 a.m. (Pacific Time) covering the topic "Marketing Your Internet Business on a Slim Budget."

In addition to alerting your readers and updating online calendars with the event particulars we hope some of you will join in on the discussion.

Michael

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

"Marketing Your Internet Business on a Slim Budget" Chat with Internet Marketing Pioneer, Dr. Ralph Wilson Friday, November 20, 1998 9 a.m. PT. http://www.wilsonweb.com/----  No special software needs to be downloaded to participate.

ROCKLIN, CA -- November 13, 1998 (Xpress Press) -- One of the Internet's first marketing newsletters, "Web Marketing Today," turned three this month with the publication of its 50th issue. Join publisher and Internet marketing pioneer, Dr. Ralph F. Wilson as he shares his expertise on November 20th at 9 a.m. (Pacific Time) during a special one-hour chat themed: "Marketing Your Internet Business on a Slim Budget."

"Building a website on the Internet is like opening a brick and mortar store on a dead end street. Online promotion helps customers find your front door," says Wilson. "The prevailing wisdom says spend as much money on promotion as you do in building your online site. We'll talk about how to use your budget wisely and how to get the most clicks for your cash."

"Web Marketing Today" (http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmt) currently reaches over 50,000 subscribers monthly. Its editorial focus is on marketing strategies that can be accomplished within the limited budgets typical of small to medium-size businesses. The online companion to the newsletter, the Web Marketing Info Center (http://www.wilsonweb.com/webmarket) contains links to 2,000 articles and resources on Internet Marketing, arguably the largest collection available anywhere.

Although much has changed in the three years of business boom and bust on the Internet, Wilson points to the following as the top marketing FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) to which his readers always seem to want answers:

• How to get visitors to my site?
• How to turn a browser into a buyer?
• And, how do I make money online?

Right now, getting a site's pages ranked high in the search engines should be a top priority says Dr. Wilson. "Search engines are much more crowded than they were in 1995 when I first started publishing 'WMT.' We need to learn how to make our pages more understandable to search engines, and in some cases create separate points of entry for specific engines."

To turn a browser into a buyer he advises gaining trust by sharing your expertise with visitors and making your site easy to navigate. "There is simply too much information online to process it all, and if you can help someone along in the learning process, it builds trust and eventually it earns you business. Ultimately, though, it is the site owner who knows how to motivate the visitor to action who closes the deal."

Finally, Wilson says that despite three years of fast and furious Internet growth all the good business ideas are not taken. "Small businesses successes are alive and well on the Web. If I told someone I was going to open an online bookstore they'd think I had my head buried in the sand for the past couple of years. How could I expect to compete with Amazon.com? Yet, I know of several bookstore owners catering to used book buyers who are doing very well in their respective markets. Think through your business plan carefully. Then create content that's relevant to your customer."

In addition to "Web Marketing Today," Dr. Wilson also publishes "Web Commerce Today" (http://www.wilsonweb.com/wct1) a subscription-based publication covering advanced Internet retailing issues.

BACKGROUND:

Dr. Ralph Wilson founded Wilson Internet Services, (http://www.wilsonweb.com), a website design and consulting company, in July of 1995.

Shortly thereafter, Dr. Wilson began to write Internet marketing articles that he distributed in his newsletter "Web Marketing Today," launched in November 1995. He concurrently developed the largest collection of Internet Marketing related articles online located at the Web Marketing Information Center (http://www.wilsonweb.com/webmarket) and is widely recognized as one of the first consultants to be accused of "giving away too much" having quickly learned the value of including free content at his web site to attract a steady stream of visitors.

"Web Marketing Today" and Dr. Ralph Wilson have been featured in many books and publications including: "Strategic Internet Marketing" by Tom Vassos, CBS News, Home Office Computing, PC Week, the Wall Street Journal, Investors Business Daily, and the Los Angeles Times.

Some of Dr. Wilson's most popular articles to date follow:

• "12 Web Site Design Decisions Your Business Will Need to Make," originally published in 1995 and still accessed by over 5,000 readers monthly.
• "Questions Small Businesses Ask about the Internet" accessed by over 1,000 readers a month and reprinted frequently.
• "11 Reasons Not To Have A Website," a tongue-in-cheek article which answers the objections and excuses business people sometimes give for not building a web site."

INTERVIEW CONTACT: Dr. Ralph Wilson, (916) 652-4659 http://www.wilsonweb.com/contact/

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