Everyone wants more orders. More leads. More revenue. The internet promises all of this – and it can deliver. But not the way most people think.
Here’s what actually works after 30 years of doing this.
Solve a Real Problem
This sounds obvious. It isn’t.
Most businesses think they solve problems. They don’t – they sell products. There’s a difference. Products sit on shelves. Solutions get bought.
Before spending a single dollar on marketing, ask yourself: what problem does my customer wake up at 3am worrying about? If your product doesn’t address that, no amount of SEO or advertising will save you.
Stop Sounding Like Everyone Else
Visit any business website. You’ll find the same phrases:
- “Industry-leading solutions”
- “Committed to excellence”
- “Customer-focused approach”
- “Innovative thinking”
These phrases mean nothing. They could apply to anyone, which means they apply to no one.
Your sales pitch should sound like you. If someone could copy your text onto a competitor’s site and it would still make sense, start over.
Stories Beat Statistics
“We’ve helped 500 companies increase revenue” is forgettable.
“Sarah ran a bakery that was about to close. Six months later, she had a waitlist” – that’s memorable.
People don’t remember numbers. They remember stories about people like themselves. Find your best customer stories and tell them. Specifically. With names and details and the messy middle where things almost didn’t work out.
Your Website Is Your Storefront
Would you walk into a store with broken windows, peeling paint, and products scattered randomly on the floor?
That’s what a poorly designed website feels like. Broken links, typos, confusing navigation – each one is a crack in the window. Each one says “we don’t care enough to fix this.”
The standard advice is “no more than 3 clicks to find anything.” That’s a start. But the real rule is simpler: if your mother couldn’t figure out how to buy from you, you have a problem.
Ads Are a Tax on Bad Marketing
Advertising works. It also costs money every single day.
Good content, good SEO, good word-of-mouth – these cost money once and keep paying forever. A blog post written in 2015 can still bring customers in 2025. An ad you ran in 2015 stopped working the moment you stopped paying.
Use ads to amplify what’s already working. Don’t use them to compensate for what isn’t.
Test Everything
You think you know what works. You don’t.
The headline you love might be the one that kills your conversions. The product photo you hate might be the one that sells. The “ugly” website design might outperform the beautiful one.
Test your sales copy. Test your images. Test your calls-to-action. Keep what works, drop what doesn’t. Your opinion matters less than your data.
Tell People What to Do
You’d be amazed how many websites provide great information and then… nothing. No next step. No button to click. No number to call.
People need direction. If you want them to call, say “Call us.” If you want them to buy, say “Buy now.” If you want them to sign up, say “Sign up.”
Clear beats clever. Every time.
The Real Secret
There isn’t one.
Getting orders from the internet is the same as getting orders anywhere else: solve real problems for real people, communicate clearly, and make it easy to buy. The internet just lets you do it at scale.
The businesses that win online aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets or the cleverest marketing. They’re the ones that understand their customers deeply and serve them well.
Everything else is just tactics.