Before you start building your online presence, you need to truly understand what your company is all about. This may seem obvious to some, but it is not common for a company to overlook this important step. By asking yourself the four questions below, you will be able to actually define the purpose of your company:



Who is your audience?
You can have the best product and message in the world, but if you don't know who you're trying to sell it to, your internet marketing efforts are going to be much less successful. Defining your target audience can help ensure that your advertising budget doesn't go to waste. By figuring out whether your company is aimed at thirty year old men or teenage girls, you will be able to tailor your online message to speak directly to your demographic.

Are you perceived as unique?
Notice that I said to ask yourself if you are perceived as unique, not if you are actually unique. Virtually every company has at least one other competitor that offers the same product or service as them. However, this does not mean that your potential customers have to perceive you as the same. BMW and Volvo both sell cars, but it's not mistake that the majority of affluent individuals will choose a BMW over a Volvo any day of the week.

Are you ready to tell the world about yourself?
Once you have answered the questions above, it's time to take the plunge and make yourself known. The most successful companies are the ones that aren't afraid to be bold and take risks. Being strong and making yourself stand above the rest is what this question is all about. Knowing that you are truly ready to push the envelope and establish your presence is vital to success.


Can you persevere through criticism?
Tying into the question above, once you take the plunge and start doing something that pushes the envelope, you are going to be the target of criticism. Doing something original inevitably causes jealousy and other emotions, which then leads to criticism.
Whether you are targeted by your competition, the media or other people, make sure that your backbone is ready to handle the criticism that will come sooner or later.

Let me be the first to take a stab at this -

Software Projects

Who is your Audience - Small Business owners, $500k to $20M in revenue

Are you perceived as unique? - This is a though one. According to one of our customers, we're "the one partner they could never replace". But we still have a long way to go before SoftwareProjects strengthens our unique-ness

Are you ready to tell the world about yourself? - Hell Ya

Can you preserve through criticism? - We haven't been "targeted" by competition yet as you put it. And it's not going to happen anytime soon if they know what's best for them.

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I'd like to suggest two more questions to add to your list:

"Are you creating true value for your customers?"

AND

"Can your customers easily function without you?"