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.
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.

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.

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