The Internet is a big giant communication tool. Some communication is passive, for example you might just read this article after seeing a link on Twitter or Facebook. Alternatively this communication could become active as you might leave a comment.

A lot of times businesses expect the Internet to do the magic of creating visitors and that just by having a website their job is done. The problem with that thinking is that unless you give people a pressing reason to visit a website to see new material they won’t bother.

If you look at a list of most popular websites it’s not surprising to see that search engines, social networking and news sites dominate the list. If you want people to visit your site you have to make sure that they find it in one of those popular places and follow a link.

The most direct way that you have most control over is social media – in fact chances are that is why you are reading this post right now. Once it is finished and live on the site I will create a bit.ly short url and then send a notification on Twtter, LinkedIn and Facebook to let the masses know it’s there.

There is another way to let people know about your new content, email newsletters.  Last week we sent out a newsletter for the Jubilee Sailing Trust letting all their supporters know about the latest events with links back to their website.  This ensures their supporters, who probably don’t visit the JST website on a regular basis, are kept informed and encouraged to follow the links.

The email newsletter route is great for letting people (who have expressed an interest) know about your latest news and articles.  Another big advantage is we can track who reads and clicks on the links to know that the message is getting across.

Just having a website is not enough.  To make it successful you need to use the Internet to communicate with clients and prospects.  You need to have updated information and you need to let people know it is there.

Related posts:

1. Use Tweetdeck and make your comments appropriate
2. How many social media sites should a man walk down?
3. Twitter – The post every website should have
4. Do you make use of RSS?
5. E-Marketing Mistakes