For the last six years I have been living in the beautiful mountain town of Asheville, North Carolina. Three years ago I experienced what many Americans have since 9/11; I was laid off from my job and there were few prospects in sight. After nine months of unemployment and only one call back in my field I had the inspiration to go into business for myself. I was lucky enough to find a talented, intelligent woman interested in investing in a business partnership with me and we began networking with and marketing to the local community. As time passed we realized what many other small business professionals have in the past, our best bet for success was on the Internet. Online we could reach a much broader client base, which would allow us to make more money and eventually support ourselves through the business.

Publishing Articles Online

One of the first steps my business partner and I took to begin marketing our company online was to write and publish articles through a variety of web sites. These web sites ranged from industry specific sites and e-zines to general web portals. Web portals accept articles on a wide range of topics and make them available to a variety of online and offline editors. As each article was posted to a new site a link to our company web site was included, this began to increase our web site traffic and our number of leads. As our marketing plan moved forward we realized this was a tool we could teach other small business owners to use and a service we could offer to clients who wanted to increase their web site traffic. My business partner and I created a seminar and offered it at a local microenterprise organization. We also began to use this tool when consulting on web site development and Internet marketing projects. Overall, my clients have seen their web site traffic increase, along with their number of qualified leads each month. Since the services my company provides are affordable the client simply reinvests a small portion of the current marketing budget into my company. The client's marketing budget stays the same while sales increase.

The Virtual Reputation, Is It Real?

I am not certain who first coined the term "virtual reputation". I know I put the words together in a business meeting one afternoon and when I began to research the idea I realized many marketing professionals had made the same connection. Many people I have shared my Internet marketing ideas with have a slight aversion to the idea of a "virtual reputation". They feel it implies a reputation that isn't real. I beg to differ. The virtual reputation is not one of dishonesty or false representation, it is simply a reputation created by a computer network, like any other virtual experience. When others using the Internet read your articles or visit your web site they are having a virtual encounter and meeting the virtual you. They will make numerous judgments about your personality, belief system and talent. This is why a positive, well-constructed virtual reputation is essential, it can mean the difference between a sale and no sale!

Building Confidence Leads To Success!

The most important way creating and maintaining a virtual reputation can help small business professionals is that it builds self-confidence. In the virtual world your reputation is not built through face-to-face contact or phone introductions, it is built by the personal expression of your ideas, skill and feedback from others. This levels the playing field for entrepreneurs who are just starting out in the business world. It is also a great tool for those who battle with shyness, anxiety or self esteem issues. Once you have encountered encouragement and criticism of your products or services online you are more aware of your target market and you have a realistic view of how your business can be more successful. A greater sense of confidence leads to a more competitive edge on the Internet and in the three dimensional world.


About the Author

Sarah Benoit is a partner of Sidhe Communications, an Internet marketing firm in Asheville, North Carolina. She has an extensive background in special event production and promotion, keyword writing, healthcare research and is an Internet marketing specialist. She can be reached at www.sidhecommunications.com.