Websites come in all shapes and sizes. There are some geared toward children, and some for caring for your pets. In between there are sites for every conceivable interest, hobby, and business opportunity. The choices are unbelievable, but there is a common thread running through most of the websites on the internet. It’s there and it is a reality. You see it as you surf and it rears its head when you are nearing the final steps to purchasing something.

A lot of the websites tell you about someone or something. Advertising runs rampant and testimonials fill the pages until you forget what the original idea was about. You can purchase anything from A to Z, and in every price range. There are numerous colors to choose from, and size. Foreign travel and recipes are there to satisfy any world traveler and gourmet. You can even purchase your choice of product/service in several languages and with interchangeable parts.

Now the common thread - that one ion of sameness. It’s there when your coming and you can’t escape it when you’re leaving. You can’t overlook it and there it is site after site. As an internet marketer, what can you do about it? Well, the solution is to be different with a twist. It is uniqueness with a slant. Yes, you will have to use your creativity and your individuality as a person to come up with an original and compelling way of presenting your product or service. Cutting that common thread of sameness is difficult. It’s tough and its strong. Its fibers reach into every nook and cranny and climb up the walls of your site. Chopping this vine down takes some doing, but rest assured, it can be done and it certainly is worth it.

If you believe in your product and service, and there is certain value to what you are marketing, take out those shears and start cutting. Clip away until your site is “your site.” Don’t let it ever become a copycat version of someone else’s site. If you are marketing or featuring someone else’s product or service, present it in a new light, with new insights into why someone should purchase it and what it can do for them. Use original content and put a bit of yourself into your site. People surfing on the net to purchase want to get to know something about the webmaster and his/her site. They would like a little information on who you are, and why they should buy from you. You can overdo this friendliness portion too, but then you have a neighborly chit chat and that could take away from your business intentions. A happy medium and a happy site will bring you volumes of visitors, subscribers, and buyers.

What can you use on your site to be unparalleled? Truth and honesty goes a long way and so does sincerity. People can feel that someone is genuine and straightforward. This puts you heads above your competitors. Present your claims openly and try what Ralph Waldo Emerson called “Plain Dealing.” The opposite trait to this type of marketing is dishonesty and hypocrisy. Of course, there are shades of this unpleasant form of marketing and these are just as destructive. You certainly don’t ever want to venture down these trails, because your business demise is at the end of these roads and so is your personal integrity. Too much to put on the chopping block.

If you invest time and money into whatever you are marketing, then invest another commodity - yourself. Become the legitimate, bona fide, earnest marketer of your product/service. Then proudly walk by the bogus, insincere storefronts and feel the warmness of offering something to make someone’s life better or easier. Its a great feeling and it definitely is something you can take to the bank. ENJOY! ©Arleen M. Kaptur 2002 July