Approximately 148
million people worldwide have access to the World Wide Web, and that
number is growing by the day. No matter
what your business, you shouldn't ignore 148 million plus potential
clients. For them to find you and show you're interested in
serving them, you
need to have a presence on the Web. Your competitors most certainly will.
Recently, a poll conducted
by Verizon/Super-Pages.com found 65 percent of small businesses believed the Internet was important to their future.
Forty-two percent said the Web increased online sales, 29 percent reported it lowered their marketing costs, 42 percent said it expanded their business territory, and 35 percent said it increased sales leads.
Selling
Products
Many people think
selling products are the only thing to do with the Web, but we think you should
consider selling products on the Internet and the World Wide Web after you
have done a lot of other things first. Why? Well, the answer
is complex but the best way to put it is this: "Before people decide to
become customers, they want to know about you, what you do, and what you
can do for them." You can do this easily and inexpensively by
being on the
Web. Maybe then you might be able to turn them into customers.
Networking
Much of what passes
for business is simply nothing more than making connections with other
people. Have you ever heard the old adage "it's not what you know,
it's who you know?" Passing out your business card is a part of
every meeting. Almost every business person can tell more than one story
of how a chance meeting turned into the big deal. Well, what if you
could pass out your business card to thousands of potential clients and
partners, saying "This is what I do, if you are ever in need of my
services, this is how you can reach me." You can do
this 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, inexpensively and simply, on the Web.
Besides, you can put a lot more information about your company and your
services on the web than a business card.
Making
Your Business Information Available
What is basic
business information? Think of a Yellow Page ad. What are your hours?
What do you do? How can someone contact you? What are your terms and
what methods of payment do you take? Where are you located? Now
take that Yellow Page ad one step further. By being on the web you
can have instant communication. What is today's
special? Today's interest rate? Next week's parking lot sale
information? Or possibly a monthly newsletter for all your clients
to see. (Just think of all the money you save in postage by not
mailing out this information.) If you could keep your customers informed of every reason
why they should do business with you, don't you think you could do more
business? You can on the Web.
Serving
Your Customers
Making business
information available is one of the most important ways to serve your
customer's needs. If you seriously look at how better to serve
your customers, you'll find more innovative ways by using Web technology.
How about making forms available to
pre-qualify for loans, or have your staff conduct a search to find that classic
jazz record you just can't find anywhere? Just think, you don't
need to pay long distance charges or tie up your staff on the
phone. The Web can allow your customer to punch in sizes and check it against
your
database to tell him immediately if you have his jacket in his size and
color in your store. All this can be done, simply and quickly, on the Web.
Increasing
Public Interest
Let's face it, most businesses won't get
a magazine like Newsweek to write up your local store opening, but
you might get them to write up your Web Page address if it is something
new and interesting. Even if Newsweek would write about your local store
opening, you wouldn't benefit from someone in a distant city reading
about it, unless of course, they were coming to your town sometime soon
or buy it from you on-line.
Reaching a
Highly Desirable Demographic Market
The demographic of
the Web user is probably the highest mass-market demographic available.
They are usually college-educated or being college educated, making a
high salary, or soon to make a high salary. It's no wonder that
"Wired" magazine, the magazine of choice to the Internet
community, has no problem getting Lexus and other high-end marketer's
advertising. Even with the addition of the commercial on-line community,
the demographic will remain high for many years to come.
Answering
Frequently Asked Questions
Whoever answers the
phones in your company can tell you, their time is usually spent
answering the same questions over and over again. These are questions customers and potential customers want to have
answered
before they deal with you. By posting that information on a Web page,
you will have
removed yet another barrier and free up some
time from your busy phone operator.
Recruiting
& Recognizing Top Employees
The Web has become a
very popular mode of recruiting top employees from all over the
country. By posting job openings on the Web, you can draw from a
huge group of qualified people. Why not have a page that
recognizes and highlights the milestones of your company and the achievements of your top employees?
Staying
in Contact with Salespeople
On-the-road employees may need up-to-the-minute information
to help them make
the sale or pull together the deal. If you know what that information
is, you can keep it posted in complete privacy on the Web. A quick local
phone call can keep your staff supplied with the most detailed
information, without long distance phone bills and tying up staff at
the home office.
Opening
Global Markets
You may not be able
to make sense of the mail, phone, and regulation systems in all your
potential international markets, but with a Web page, you can open up a
dialogue with international markets as easily as you can with the company
located across
the street. As a matter-of-fact, before you go onto the Web, you
may want to decide how you want to handle the international business that will come
your way, because your postings are certain to bring international
opportunities your way, whether or not it is part of your
plan. Another added benefit; if your company has offices overseas, they
can access the home offices information for the price of a local phone
call.
Creating
a 24-Hour Service
Have you ever
remembered too late or too early to call the opposite coast? You know
the hassle. We're not all on the same schedule. While business is
worldwide, your office
hours are not. Trying to reach businesses overseas is even more frustrating.
Web pages can serve the client, customer, and partner 24-hours a day,
seven-days a week with no overtime either! The Web can customize information to
match needs, and collect important information that can put you ahead of
the competition, even before they get into the office.
Making
Changing Information Available
Sometimes
information changes before it even gets off the press, leaving you with a
pile of expensive, worthless brochures. Electronic publishing changes
with your needs. No paper, no ink, no printer's bill. You can even
attach your Web page to a database which customizes the page's output to
a database you can change as many times in a day as you need. No printed
piece can match that flexibility.
Allowing
Feedback from your Customers
You pass out the
brochure, the catalog, the booklet, but it doesn't work. No sales, no
calls, no leads. What went wrong? Wrong color, wrong price,
or wrong
market? The market books say to keep testing and you'll eventually
find out what went wrong. That may be fine for the big businesses with deep
pockets, but not for a small business. Due to limited resources,
you don't have the
time or the money to wait for the answer. With a Web page, you can ask
for feedback and get it instantaneously at no extra cost. An instant
e-mail response can be built into your Web pages so the customer's
answer can be sent back to you without the cost and lack of response
of business reply mail.
Reaching
the Education & Youth Market
If your market is
education, most universities already offer Internet
access to their students. In the next few years, most K-12's will be on the Internet
too. Books, athletic shoes, study courses, fashion,
and anything else targeted to student needs should be on the Web. Even with the coming of the commercial on-line
services and their somewhat older populations, there will be nothing but
growth in the percentage of the under 25 market that will be on-line.
Reaching
the Specialized Market
Do you sell fish tanks, art
reproductions, or flying lessons? You may think that the Internet is not a
good place to be. Well, think again. The Internet isn't just
for computer
science students anymore. With the soon-to-be 7 million and growing
users of the Web, even the most
narrowly defined interest groups will be represented in large numbers.
Since the Web has several very good search programs, your interest group
will be able to find you, or your competitors.
Serving
your Local Market
We've talked about
the power to serve the world with a Web page. How about your
neighborhood? No matter where you are located, there are probably
enough local customers with Web access to make it worth your while to
consider Web marketing. Would you believe there are restaurants
now taking lunch
orders through the Internet? It doesn't matter where you are, if the big
client has Web access, you should be there too.
