As we go about our daily business of marketing online, it is easy to forget to stop to see what is working. Anyone who has a web site in their marketing plan should have a basic familiarity with their web statistics, and learn how to understand them so they can gauge which marketing strategies are working (or not) and adjust their course.

Every day that your site is online, with a host that offers a good statistics package, you are gathering valuable information that you can use to strategize your online marketing. Don't miss the opportunity to tap into this pool of knowledge about your web site!

I have a new site to tell you about this month. Bill and I developed a custom database driven site for Weichert Realtors, Northeast Group, to list homes for rent in the Saratoga Springs, NY region during race track and NYC ballet season. The agents at Weichert now have the ability to add and modify listings, and upload pictures through an administrative interface.

We have two other new sites just about to "hatch" any day now so stay tuned for those! Meanwhile, a big welcome to three new clients. We began working on marketing and corporate identity for Jaguar Rose LLC, a family and women owned property improvement company in NJ. We'll be doing marketing and web site development for Primarily for Women, a unique practice that specializes in medicine for women. And we're designing a marketing postcard for commercial real estate owner Parkland Partners. This summer has been buzzing!

Marketing and information technology are two of the most important aspects of any business organization. Traditionally, they have been opposing departments with different agendas, budgets and staff. Yet, between the two are the skills and resources that power a successful and profitable enterprise.

This article, written for the Business Journal, talks about what can be accomplished when a bridge is built between marketing and technology and strategies an organization can use to make it happen.

In case you missed the previous announcement, check out the special discounted packages just for micro business* subscribers to this newsletter! Designed to provide a starting point for the smallest businesses to get up and running, these discounted packages cover such essentials as logo design, search engine optimization, business cards and basic web sites. Order more than one and get another discount! And don't forget, you can charge our services to a credit card to spread out the payments.

* A Micro Business is defined as having 3 or fewer employees and includes independent professionals, sole proprietors and many home based businesses

Being a Turtle, I have never felt comfortable with selling myself or doing public relations of any kind. But this book provided me with a clear path to self promotion that felt natural, safe and aligned with my beliefs. Truly, for in the short time that I've applied what I learned here, I've found myself seeking out media opportunities, writing for major national magazines and interviewed as an expert. If you purchase just one book to learn how to promote yourself, this should be it. It's written for women but is not in the least bit off-putting for men - in fact, if you're an independent professional or solo entrepreneur, it will change how you look at promotion, forever.