I appreciate reading the blog of Seth Godin (along with half the world, apparently). Today, he blogged about the fact that “small is a weapon, not an excuse” and spoke of the power of the web to level the playing field between small and large businesses. I couldn’t agree more.

I serve as the Pastor of a church, which I consider small (we average about 200 people in our Sunday morning service). I know “small” is relative in almost any field, but in this day of megachurches, we’re small. But I’m also a firm believer that small churches and ministries can sometimes do things that larger ones can’t. Sometimes it’s red tape, other times its intimacy, but there are often huge advantages to being small.

Don’t get me wrong, many churches are being unfaithful to the spread of the gospel because they celebrate smallness in all the wrong ways – they’ve become isolated from culture, are dying, and are oblivious to it because they keep celebrating the wrong kind of smallness. Nonetheless, smallness can still have its advantages.

Seth points out that your small business can have a better web site, blog, newsletter, customer service, etc. than many larger businesses. This is true. There’s a reason why Get Human is such a popular place – people hate automated answering systems and maze-like navigational menus when they encounter a customer service issue. They just want a face, a voice, a reassurance that they matter – something that large businesses struggle to capture.

So how do you do business better when your small? It’s a comprehensive subject, so I’ll just focus a few thoughts on how your web site can help you beat out the bigger competition…

1. You can have a nicely designed site. Okay, so can the big guys, but many don’t. While their developers have to account for a thousand unique issues related to the size of their organization, you can focus on a simple site with a killer look!

2. You can respond personally to pleas for help. Your site can feature a contact form to which you pesonally respond. I’m not a fan of auto responders because no matter how wisely they are crafted, they always seem… auto? Nobody wants to be answered by a computer.

3. You can develop a relationship with your clients. This is the age of social networking, not just for individuals, but for businesses too. The idea of customer loyalty was beginning to die a slow death in this supercenter age, but it’s returning as people follow the service and goods providers they love best online.

4. You can easily communicate about what’s happening behind the scenes. I always recommend that every organization with a web site post company news of some kind, even if it’s “Kate got a new desk…” Why? Because nobody likes to do business with invisible people, so open the blinds online, let folks know that you’re human.

5. You can do it all fairly inexpensively. Some of you can do all of this yourself for nearly free, but even if you hire a professional web developer, rent a server, and do some online marketing, you’re investing a few thousand dollars that will pay for itself in a relatively short time period. The internet offers some of today’s greatest advertising opportunities and this will only increase as more people in more areas get better access to the online world.

So I agree with Seth, small is not an excuse, it can actually be a weapon. Fire away!

Wanna know the problem with an “under construction” page? Well, there are several. First, your content (or lack thereof) gets indexed and the cashed version of your page may not be updated for a while. Second, nobody knows how long you’ve been under construction, nor how long you’ll be that way. Third, it leaves a deflated feeling in your visitors when they click a link on your main page.

I recommend using these “coming soon” pages very sparingly. Don’t create a large graphical link to some awesome feature that you’re going to release soon and allow people to click through to an “under construction” note. Just leave the graphic link-free for now. Nonetheless, sometimes an under construction or coming soon (my preferred syntax) page is necessary. When it is, make the most of it.

1. Resist the temptation to reveal too much.

A well-designed page is great, but don’t offer a nice, graphically-intensive header, a full sidebar, and one little line of text announcing that the site will be online soon. Keep your site’s design behind the scenes and use an alternative design that is small and simple so that it doesn’t look empty. Empty buildings are awkward for public speakers as well as the tiny audiences they serve. The same is true on a full page with one tiny little line of text.

2. Make your contact information available.

Often a coming soon page creates questions as to the legitimacy of a site. Is there really anybody working on the construction crew at all? A simple contact form or email address would be a nice addition, just to let someone know you’re truly going to return their call later.

3. Don’t lose the visitor forever – keep in touch.

One of the biggest mistakes is hoping that someone will actually check in again. Do you ever think to go back to the page you visited once for no apparent reason to see if construction is complete? Neither do your site’s visitors. So if you’re using blogging software or a feed service, put the RSS link there so they’ll be notified of your first post. You can also allow the visitors to sign up for an email update, but they probably won’t do it.

4. Be a little bit creative.

Don’t use the lines “This page is under construction” or “our site will be online soon.” Why? because those are not things people say – they are things that signs say, and nobody can relate to a sign. What about, “Wow, you’re here early! We’re flattered but also a bit embarrassed that we’re not quite dressed yet, so let us notify you when we’re ready… just fill out this form…” Doesn’t that feel a bit more human?

5. Provide some simple resource links.

Whatever your niche is, go ahead and capitalize on all the free junk online by offering some helpful links. This is kind of like living on a dead end, and welcoming people to turn around in your driveway. You obviously want to avoid sending people to your competitors, but you could at least suggest some nice options. If nothing else, people may remember you for providing them a good link.

Maybe the whole “under construction” topic doesn’t seem necessary, but I wrote this article after visiting two sites consecutively that offered me the classic lines mentioned above. So I thought I’d throw this “pre-marketing” help your way. More help is coming soon…