If you run a small business of any description you may already have given some thought to online marketing. You might even have read up on the subject and been put off by what you gleaned. That is not surprising.
Much of what is written about the cyberspace marketplace is directed at big business and as such, quite inappropriate for your circumstances.
What is even more alarming, some of it is mendacious, emanating from unreliable sources and is therefore worse then useless; it is downright dangerous.
The truth of the matter is that the internet is an androgynous mix; a volatile cocktail of brashness and subtlety that blends only for those who understand the formula.
But when you learn how to recognise the disparate characteristics in action and know how to fuse them constructively from the point of view of the small business owner, you have at your command the most powerful and cost effective marketing device of the 21st Century.
The tragedy is though that many small businesses are still using the internet as a means of being seen to be ‘doing something’ online and so fail to take full advantage of the formidable and inexpensive range of electronic marketing tools and techniques available; resources that can mean the difference between maintaining a viable business or closing up shop; the difference that becomes singularly apparent when you become aware of its potency and apply its muscle to your own enterprise.
The value of a good website to the small business owner
These are the benefits you should be looking to accrue from your small business website: a fusion of incoming and outgoing information, intelligence that you should embrace to service existing customers and attract new ones. And unlike printed matter, you need never be nervous about imparting sensitive information (price lists, specifications, etc) because you have the facility to update variable data instantly.
As for direct selling, you’ll get the odd sale or two from your site, but not a lot. Not yet anyway. Stick with it though and you’ll do much more direct selling in time as the retail ethos of the web begins to bite – and there is evidence that it is starting to do just that - for even the smallest of trading concerns.
The percentage of sales taking place online has grown by 30% over the last four years with 8% growth in the most recent year alone.
Average dollar per online transaction has also steadily increased over the last four years. In addition, online sales showed the strongest growth across all Census Divisions – in most regions online was the only channel with growth.
It's amazing how few businesses take advantage of online marketing. Even if they do have a website I see very few businesses marketing it heavily. Great advice.
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