Winning on the Web

Social media can also be an effective customer-service tool, letting you communicate with customers in a fast, public-facing way.

8. Build an e-newsletter

A collection of email addresses of clients who have agreed to receive periodic emails from your business can be a critically useful thing to have. Promoting product sales and special events is an obvious use, but more creative uses are an option as well. Unlike social media, e-newsletters allow for split messaging, i.e., sending half your email list one message and the other half a different one. This opens a wealth of product research and testing options for your company that might not be available otherwise. You could track which products people are most interested in or which email subject lines get opened more, or offer two different ways to redeem coupons, etc.

9. Use Google to its fullest

Google has several products that are vital for building business through your website. The first is Google Analytics, a traffic-reporting program that provides detailed reports on the behavior of your site's visitors. Everything users do on your site, from what exactly they're clicking on to how long they're staying on your site, is recorded and available to read and analyze, courtesy of the platform. It's free, and installed by a simple script you can place in the footer of your website.

The second is Google's search product itself. Ranking highly on Google's search results should be the priority of any business. The best way to do this could be having your business mentioned in online articles or press releases, but in general, your site should be full of relevant keywords ("business forms for the banking and financial sector," "marketing and printing solutions for small businesses in the Tri-state area," etc.).