Why Doing Business Online is Here to Stay
Why do consumers favor the Internet an estimated 15:1 over than the phone book to research and shop? As a business owner, how can you take advantage of the tremendous opportunity that the Internet makes available to you, and how can you turn this new advertising trend into dollars for your business?
Many business owners are under the misconception that a phone book ad, billboard, radio broadcast or other type of promotion is adequate for driving customers to their business. Those methods help to capture customers’ attention, but once the customer hears or reads the advertisement, their next question is often “What’s your Web address?”
What makes Websites so popular? Let’s look a little deeper. There are several reasons, but we’ll focus on the top three.
First of all, Websites are fast information. People today are busy and like to find what they want as quickly as possible without having to go to the store to “read the box.” Not only that, but customers can compare products and services from Website to Website faster than they can drive from strip mall to strip mall. They make their buying choices from what they’ve learned online, and then can either use an online shopping cart if a site is so-equipped, or visit the business that provides the item or service.
Notice that I mentioned service. Customers use the Internet to compare doctors, dentists, accountants, lawyers, mechanics, lawn care, banking, and every other type of service as much as they compare and research products online.
Second, in addition to fast information, consumers can find exact and specific information relevant to their needs. Using a few keywords, people search locally, nationally, or internationally for anything they want.
Businesses generally place phone book ads in just one or two categories due to advertising costs, so consumers must figure out what heading to look under when they thumb through hundreds of printed pages. It’s so much easier for them to type what they want on a search engine, click a button, and have their exact matches served to them on the screen. Consumers aren’t lazy, they’re smart; and they recognize that using search engines is the most efficient way to shop. A third reason that the Internet is so popular is convenience. Think about this: how many people use computers at work? Millions—and at home? Millions more. Today, people work online, bank online, check email online, make friends and date online, and more. Virtually every aspect of our culture has an Internet counterpart. While people do their daily tasks and errands online, check the news and weather, and such, why not shop too? And they do. Online shopping has become an increasingly integral part of our society, exceeding $130 billion in sales in 2007 alone. Why? Because it is so easy and convenient.
There are numerous other reasons that the Internet has affected or influenced the way people shop, but let’s stick with the three we’ve mentioned so far: fast, exact, and convenient. Your business can take advantage of these three aspects of the Internet while simultaneously providing your customers with a higher level of service. Additionally, you can do so at a tremendous cost savings over the traditional methods of advertising that you currently use.
You own a business (or manage a business, or in some other way are a decision-maker for a business). Let’s say, for illustration purposes, that it’s a pet store. Suppose you sell pets, pet supplies, and offer a typical variety of pet-related services like grooming, boarding, and veterinary services. Where do you place your phone book ad?
Pets? Pet Supplies? Kennels? Grooming? Or perhaps, veterinarians? Advertising dollars are scarce, and at hundreds (or thousands) of dollars per ad each month, you will have some tough decisions to make. You will have to guess where your customers will look for you the most (to the exclusion of your other services), just as your customers will have to guess where to find you. After all, due to advertising costs, you must pick the one or two categories that will yield the biggest return on your advertising dollar, right?
But what if you could be listed in all of the categories of products and services that you provide? And instead of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars each month, hoping to attract customers with printed ads (that can only be updated once a year), or broadcast ads that you might reach your target audience, what if you could pay once for a Website, and then pay a nominal monthly hosting fee for an advertising tool that lets you track your return on investment? If the costs are less and the results are better, would it make sense for your business to consider the Website option?
A Website can be optimized for search engines and equipped with tools such that your customers can find you by name, or by any of the categories, manufacturers, or other keywords that you define. Additionally, it can be updated as often as necessary to keep up with changes, new products, and more.
If you do not have a Website and your customers frequently ask what your Web address is, it’s a warning sign that they are looking online for the product or service that you provide. If you have a Website, it is a buying sign. Dismissing the question with “We don’t have one” sends the message that you aren’t up with the times and aren’t interested in meeting your customers’ needs. In turn, you have just sent them to your competition.
There has been a paradigm shift in the marketplace. Unfortunately, your past success guarantees you nothing in the future since the way business is conducted has fundamentally changed. Remember, continued success demands that your selling habits meet the shopping and buying habits of your most important asset: your customers. If you do not sell the way that they shop, they will buy from someone else.
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