A Business Without An Online Presence Is Missing Out On A Goldmine Of Potential Customers

Marketing on the Internet is not really a choice
anymore, but has almost become a necessity in today's
marketplace. No company can afford to ignore the fact
that online marketing is now a multi-billion-dollar
business. Those businesses without an online presence
are missing out on a goldmine of potential customers.

Like anything, there are exceptions to the rule and
marketing on the Internet may not suit absolutely
every business. However, claiming to be the exception
is often a disguise for making excuses.

Reality is; that some businesses fail to appreciate the
revenue potential of Internet marketing. Others simply
fear change, or put Internet marketing in the too hard
basket and hope that it will go away. Unfortunately
for them, Internet marketing is growing every day.
There will come a time when they will lose business,
simply because they lack an Internet presence.
For many businesses, that day has already arrived.

Here are 12 reasons why businesses without an online
presence are missing out on a goldmine of potential
customers:

1. Technology To Compete - In bygone days, a small
business usually lacked the resources of their larger
competitors. Now even a small business can access much
of the same technology as the giant corporations. They
too can use auto-responders, accept online payments
and even deliver products over the Internet.

2. Niche Markets Abound – The Internet has opened
up all sorts of niche marketing opportunities that either
never existed before, or were too expensive to tap into.

3. Lifting The Profile – With a professionally designed
web site, it’s now easy for a small business on the
Internet to have the appearance and credibility of
being a large corporation.

4. Low Cost - Compared to other media, the Internet
enables a business to advertise at considerably
lower prices. It may not be a replacement for other
marketing, but the Internet is generally cheaper
than advertising on television, radio, or in
newspapers, magazines and even by direct mail.

As an example; posting out a mailing to customers
will probably cost around $1.50 a pop (allowing for
printing, postage etc), whereas to email the same
message to customers costs next to nothing!

5. Open 24/7 - By automating a web site, a business
can be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No extra
staff costs and no overtime rates to pay!

6. Serving The Local Area – Not everyone wants to
take the time to drive all over town to shop. It is a fast
moving world and it seems that we all want things to
be quick and easy. Using the Internet is a quick and
easy way for people to access information about
products and services from the comfort, convenience
and privacy of their own home. No fuel costs, no traffic
jams … no time wasted.

Locally based businesses can usually get a free
website listing in their local Internet directories.

7. Reaching A Global Audience - More countries
are getting on the Net each year. The Internet
breaks down geographical boundaries and
limitation. With the help of search engines,
people can now locate and buy products and
services from every corner of the world.

8. Customer Feedback Made Easy – The Internet
makes it possible to capture visitor information.
Keeping in touch (via email) helps to cultivate
long-term relationships. Also, the widespread use
of discussion forums is a popular way to get quick,
low-cost customer feedback.

9. Frequently Asked Questions - Questions that
may normally be answered by phone can be answered
on the Internet. A website can list the answers to
the most frequently asked product or service related
questions. This can save on phone bills and free up
a lot of time and maybe an extra employee.

10. Interactivity – The Internet is much more dynamic
than a few years ago. Some examples of this include:

- Automatic product updates through the use of
databases.
- Automatic web site content and image changing.
- The increasingly common use of live video and
audio streaming.

These and other Internet service can save money
and increase business efficiency. They can also
open the door to exciting new marketing opportunities.

11. Test Marketing New Products – The Internet
offers quick and easy ways to conduct low-cost
market research. A questionnaire on a web site,
or by email, can test very quickly and inexpensively
whether a product gets a good response. What’s more,
different offers or marketing approaches can be
tested using different pages on the same website.

12. Use of Time Sensitive Promotions – It is
easy to quickly change promotions or offers
on the Internet. Emails can be sent out or a
website offer changed almost instantly. Time
sensitive promotions such as running contests,
or product specials can be a good way to attract
traffic and sales to an online business.

For those who haven't developed a web site for
their business yet, now could be a good time to
start. Local competitors may already have one.
And remember; it’s now much easier for almost
any business to tap into almost any market,
from almost any geographical location.

That’s why I say - Marketing on the Internet is
not really a choice anymore. It has almost become
a necessity in today's marketplace.