The Value of an Online Presence for Small Businesses




Small Business Trends Radio | Small Business Advice show

Summary: Karla Hakansson feels that enough cannot be said about the importance of having an online presence for small businesses.nbsp; And if you think that most small businesses already know the importance of an online presence - think again -nbsp;many do not even have one. Karla Hakansson, Director of Global Channel Marketing at Verisign, joins Anita Campbell for an in-depth discussion on the matter. She will explain the importance of establishing a branded domain and social media profiles for your small business, she will walk you through the steps to establish and register a domain and share interesting stories of different way small businesses are using their web domains to grow their business. Below are the questions we asked Karla: (1:52) You are an employee of Verisign, correct? (2:19) How did you get into this business? (3:33) The web is about 15 years old at this point, correct? (4:09) So here we are, a quarter century later.nbsp; Do you find that there's still a hurdle to convince business owners that they should have an online presence? (6:55) A common thing I hear is that all the good domain names are gone, especially the .com names.nbsp; What does Verisign say to that? (8:46) Lets talk a bit about the name of your company, your brand, and how that relates to a domain name.nbsp; Is it better to get a descriptive domain name or a brand domain name? (10:19) You mention social media profiles.nbsp; When choosing a domain name, should you benbsp;checking on the availability of the social media profile name as well? (10:50) What social media sites do you think are important for small businesses?nbsp; We have Facebook and Twitter.nbsp; Are there other sites we should all be thinking about? (12:28) Walk us through what it's like to establish a domain name.nbsp; How should I be searching for that domain name?nbsp; Are there any insider tips to make sure you're as creative as possible and do as good a search as possible when looking for a domain name? (14:35) Why is it important to register the .net name as well?nbsp; Does it give you an advantage or protect you in some way? (15:17) So you're really protecting your brand that you've built, correct? (15:33) Can you tell us some stories about how small businesses are using their web domains to grow their businesses? (19:34) Why does a company like Verisign run a contest like that?nbsp; What are your goals as a company for that? (21:46) Can you tell us about the winner, Vibrant Chocolates out of Seattle, Washington? (22:54) Can you tell us what the new product, Mobile View, is and how it works? (24:38) Do you have to have a website product through Verisign for that?nbsp; (26:20)nbsp;Where can people find out more about Verisign and what Verisign has to offer? * * * * * Listen to Karla's interview now by clicking the red and yellow player below