The smartest business mind I've ever encountered belongs to Rod Dally, now in his 60s. He used to say “I don't know anything about the Internet but I know we need to use it”.
That may not sound so profound to you, but I think that for a man who knew nothing about the Internet, knowing that he must put it to use was as far as he needed to go. He went about managing his store and staff and simply arranged for others to manage the Internet side of things for him.
Before we knew it the business had an operational mailing list, a Website showing specials and events and a login section for frequent customers. It was a huge success and the business flourished.
Even if you don't think your business needs the Internet, it will be of benefit to you to read on to discover what other businesses (possibly including your competition) are doing.
Small businesses can grow their success by using the Internet to:
- Gain new business: Yellow Pages is no longer where I go to find a business whether I'm looking for an electrician or a Web designer. And I'm in the majority now. I want to see a little bit about the business I'm about to employ before I phone them. The Internet allows me to do that. And if your business isn't on the Internet I don't even get a chance to consider you, because I'm not going to phone fifteen companies to chat about their services, but I WILL visit fifteen Websites and choose based on what I find.
- Encourage repeat business: Special offers for frequent customers and loyalty programs can be cheaply and easily implemented through your Website. You can start them from scratch, integrate them with existing programs or run them separately. I enjoy getting the latest offers from businesses I frequent. I don't enjoy spam, so make sure you decide what is a reasonable time between mailouts.
- Expand clientele: The World Wide Web has a reach, as the name suggests, worldwide. You may find that your business can start shipping product or offering services to an entirely new market interstate or internationally. I am quite comfortable these days purchasing products from overseas using my credit card. I know I need to wait for postage, but I'm OK with that.
If you are modifying your business specifically to gain international customers you may be eligible for a Government grant through Austrade.
- Network: Use blogs, mailing lists and social networking sites (like Twitter) to share expertise with your peers around the world. Find out what did and did not work for them, give and get advice. You may even develop a relationship with someone where you refer clients to each other. I love chatting with fellow professionals. I don't see someone in my industry who'd based in the USA as direct competition, so I feel I have nothing to lose, but everything to gain by being candid.
- Research: Make use of your Website and email lists to find out from your clients whether you are meeting their expectations. Find out what they love about your service and if there are any reasons they might go elsewhere. It makes me feel important when a company asks my opinion. And by giving it I feel I have made a difference.
- Raise company profile: A Website gives you a presence to people who may otherwise not have seen you. This site gives the viewer the chance to see all the information you care to provide about your company, products and services. The more I know about a company the more I feel comfortable dealing with them.
There are plenty of other reasons to migrate your business online.
There are very few reasons not to.
If you are still unsure whether you need to give your business a presence on the Internet, ask someone you know who uses the Internet. Ask them how they would find someone who offers your products or services. Chances are they'll say that they would Google it. And if you're not on the Internet then Google will show them your competitor who is.
If you'd like ideas about where to go from here, call me.
Visit Melbourne Online for more.
