For the most part, we are all so busy running our businesses combined with the demands of family life that there is very little extra time for anything! Or so we think. I am a believer that you have to make time for anything that is important. And, to your Web program marketing can literally make a difference between the life or death or your program.

Just having your site "out there" by no stretch of the imagination will reach any realistic goals. Although we don't always have time for getting more organized or online marketing efforts - which go hand in hand with your level of success - unfortunately, these are the two areas that are neglected first when time is at a premium.

Each business, industry, market is cyclical. Cyclical trends are many times unpredictable or even dependable. I have yet in my over 9 years in Technology Consulting been able to determine any cyclical trends with my business with the exception of a slight lull right before the kids go back to school at the end of each summer. One thing you can count on is when you do find that you do have some extra time on your hands, there are a plethora of things you can do in regard to getting more organized. There is also an endless list of things you can do with your online marketing program to play catch-up or get that all too important lead over your perceived competitors.

Down time allows me the space to get into my "To Do" file, which covers the articles, e-mail newsletters and Web sites I have bookmarked for future reference that I haven't had time to review. I also have a notebook with my "Gotta Do" list of things I need to implement the moment I have the time to do so. If I don't get to these items in 30 days from the time I add them to the list - I make the time or set a new target date.

Unexpected lulls also allow me to take the time to get out there and see what if anything has changed, where markets are going (or not going for that matter) as well as to analyze what the other experts in my field perceive to be the trends moving forward. Then, once I take the time to get all of the above under my belt, I make my own decisions as I always have, adding to these resources my personal experiences with my own stable of sites and those of my clients who I closely strategize with on their online programs.

Here is small sampling of the little things I do when I have down time. Use these as examples to get yourself better organized, keep in step with your market, the industry and technology in general and build awareness for your program.

• Check your Web site's statistical data. Every which way from Sunday! Use your time to become familiar and comfortable with this information. Only then will you be able to notice trends or new patterns you may not have expected. Create a "Stat Binder". If you are like me, reading online gets tiresome and there are many things I print out to read at home or simply in a more relaxed atmosphere. Print out each month's charts/information of interest and put them in your Stat Binder. Then, you can easily flip between pages and reports to get a better handle on what is going on without having to be in front of your computer or reliant on connectivity.

• Review e-mail received through your Web site. You do keep copies of all those don't you? Do you see that visitors are asking the same set of questions? Or are they asking for information you never thought of providing on your site? Either way, use these e-mail as a guide as to what type of information you should be adding to your site. If the information is there and visitors are not clear or finding it easily, use these "clues" as an opportunity to work on your navigation and to add clarity in your communications.

• Go through your e-mail program and purge any unnecessary e-mails you have on file. Redo/update your e-mail templates or stationary. Review your address book and categorize it more logically based on the type of contact of those listed. Create new signature files.

• Visit other sites in your industry. Jot down what you thought was interesting and discuss these items with your Technology Consultant in regard to unique ways to integrate these ideas in your program. Keep in mind that just because another site is doing a certain thing doesn't mean it is a good idea! More times than not is isn't. In addition, you never want to be a copycat by duplicating others ideas down to the very last detail. But you can certainly let those ideas inspire you to come up with something new and unique to you, your site, your business strategy.

• Visit complimentary sites and properly ask to exchange links. Although links to your site can help your Search Engine listings - this particular item is way over hyped in this regard. All the links in the world, on their own, will not gain you great listings if other important criteria are not in place on your site as well. I look at exchanging links as a way of gaining exposure to those who visit the other site and may not have thought to look for my site and due to the link exchange they find me. Make sure you do this properly or you will not be as effective. Ask your Technology Consultant for their advice on this topic to ensure best results.

• Go to the Web sites that cover your particular industry. Review what these sites are saying in regard to recent trends and demographics. Compare that information with your actual experiences. Never blindly believe the experts. This gig hasn't been around long enough for many things to yet be in stone. Use their information as a addendum to what you are actually experiencing. You can always get a quick grasp on what these sites feel is important or newsworthy at the time simply by doing a quick scan of article or section titles. Here again, download and/or print articles for reading off-line.

• Check out and participate in newsgroups that you feel your target market may be participating in. (If you are new to online discussion groups, be sure to review my site: NetManners.com first!) Simply participating in a group where you discuss your hobbies with others with like interests, not mentioning a word about your business other than your e-mail address or signature file, is a great way of building awareness for your program. If your online program is geographically targeted, lurk in local/regional newsgroups and look for the opportunity to answer questions from posters in regard to their questions about the area. No need to mention your specific service/product in your response unless the question asked specifically requests such information. Just be a "nice guy" by providing the information the poster seeks and let your properly structured signature file do all the talking in regard to you and your Web site. [See my article: Dos and Don'ts of Signature File Use]

• Write an article based on your expertise or experiences. Better yet, base your article on the same questions you see are being asked by different visitors to your site based on your review of your e-mail inquiries. Only experience can provide the information and details that those interested in your product/service need to determine they want to do business with you.

• Take an online course or seminar in an area you have been neglecting or meaning to get up to speed on. There are many venues for courses and seminars that will allow you to take them at your own speed, virtually. I have taken several online courses and attended several seminars myself and have found them very convenient and conducive to my work style. This allows me to gain more knowledge and/or skills without having to go to a physical campus location depleting what little out of the office time I have.

• Invest in that new software that you've been meaning to get to or get more proficient on the software you already have. Use this time to review the included online help files and tutorials so that you can become more efficient and effective with the software you currently use. You probably could learn something new about every piece of software you have on your computer right now! Whether it be new e-mail software, accounting software or even as simple as organizing a new calendar program - do it! When you are busy again, and you will be, you'll be glad you did.

• If you don't have a backup schedule for your computer currently in place, make one now! Nothing like a hard drive crash to make you cringe at the thought of someone saying "You did backups right?". Backup all your critical documents and programs that you know would be a real headache if you had to rebuild them from scratch. Set the last business day of the month as your scheduled backup day (minimally) to copy files to a location off your computer's hard drive. If you have a Zip drive that is the best. If not, buy a bunch of floppy disks and start copying. Then, move these backup copies out of your office. If something were to happen to your office - wherever it may be, those disks would be destroyed with your computer and your backup efforts will have been in vain.

Print this article and keep the above handy for when you have some down time or just need a break from your every day predictable schedule. These are all important matters that require your attention at some point. When a lull is apparent, I look at it as an opportunity to dive into the items above when others would rather complain that things are slow and they have nothing to do! Use the vast resources, strategies and tools available to you - many only a click away - to ensure you are on the edge, which is where you need to be just to keep up!

About the Author:
Judith Kallos is an authoritative and good-humored Technology Muse who has played @ www.TheIStudio.com for over a decade. Check out her popular Software, Programming and Web Design Cheat Sheets @ www.LearnAndThrive.com

Publication or use of this article on or off-line without written permission from the author is prohibited. If you would like to use my articles on your Web site or in your publication, contact me for details.