Smoke and Mirror Websites
Recently, a client sent me an email requesting my advice about one of those quasi, small business community organization websites. She was contacted by one such group which stated they wanted a photo of her, a bio and information about her business, which they would post on their site. Sounds good at the outset, doesn’t it? Flattering at the very least.
When a client asks for advice, I can’t guess. For myself, intuition and experience are usually enough, but for a client, I need to confirm by doing some research. 99% of the time, my advice is to steer clear of anyone who wants to give you something for nothing. Such people or organizations are usually just smoke and mirrors—just as this offer was.
Now don’t get me wrong… there are a ton of legit business organizations out there who are honestly building resource sites for small businesses. I am not talking about them. The type to which I am referring, often look professional but there is no depth to them. Website pages are filled with robotic copy writing, and the “About Us” page never has real information: no names, no corporate addresses, no real history. They look to use legitimate business links to increase traffic and give credibility to their weak offering.
The sad thing is that fraudulent people spend just as much time and energy creating smoke and mirror sites, as others who build valid, positive, business community sites. Not only are these people unethical, but stupid. Especially with social media sites allowing consumers to expose scams.
If you want to attract small business owners, be upfront. Small business people are gutsy. They are risk takers and they understand hard work. If you approach them honestly, with a valid offer, well thought out, and priced correctly, you’ll always get better response rates. You’ll also get something more… an opportunity to build a long-lasting relationships.