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If you watch any movie that features a lost pet you will typically see a young child roaming the streets tearfully calling the pet's name. They will also be seen placing lost pet notices on virtually every telephone pole and bulletin board in town (usually a mature grandmotherly type will cluck her tongue in empathy at the plight of the child). The bad guy or the wind rips down the very poster that would have resulted in a quick return while the person who has seen the pet walks by oblivious to their ability to facilitate a reunion.

In most of these movies we are treated to a warm and fuzzy feeling when the pet and owner are reunited and the bad guy caught.

The scenario above is a perfect picture of marketing on the web. Let's see if I can break this down.

1) A lost pet. In the world of online business that lost pet is your online store. It is essentially missing from the radar of virtually everyone on the net.

2) Pet owner. This is the business owner who is deeply concerned about the welfare of their business.

3) Lost pet notice. This is the commitment to marketing. When a pet owner wants to find a lost pet they go to Herculean lengths to recover their favored pet. In the same way you need to be willing to go to extreme lengths to let others know about your online business. This means you take your message to the people. You don't simply sit at home in the hopes that someone will visit.

4) Bad guy. This may be competition from other similar businesses. If you have some success they may be inclined to find ways to out market you by attempting to gain your customers. It doesn't need to spell the end of your dreams, just some adjustments in how you market your business.

5) Happy ending. This doesn't have to be a fairytale type ending. This will more than likely be multiple small successes along the way that add up over time to become a much greater success.

So whether you're watching Homeward Bound or Garfield you should be reminded that for every seemingly negative circumstance that comes your way you can find a way to turn that idea into something positive for yourself and your online business.

Business (online or otherwise) is not a one size fits all idea. There are various dynamics that work for or against you in business and those dynamics will change. The one thing that remains static or constant is the need to market your business. This is the need to get your message out and allow it to be heard. It's the difference between whispering in a library and shouting through a megaphone at a pep rally.

Lost pets remind us we have emotional attachments to those things we consider most important. We will fight for the return of what we cherish most. This should be the same element displayed in developing and implementing a marketing idea for your online business. If it's important to you then let others know about it.