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Did you think the Internet was just for huge corporations? It's not! The advantages for small business are numerous. Find out more by visiting our Small Business blog.
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Unless you've been off the grid for awhile, you've heard of blogs. Blogs are revolutionizing the way companies and customers interact about everything -- from existing products to new ventures to customer service.
When they began, blogs were online diaries to record personal thoughts. Today, blogs have evolved into virtual communities. A blog is a place to visit for interaction, dialog, and conversation. Blogs allow readers to respond to the author's posts, provide additional information, add links, share pictures, expand their opinions, and more.
With blogs, smart online businesses rediscovered a principle that mom-and-pop stores have understood for years: know your customers, and stay in touch with their needs and desires. Blogs allow your customers to tell you what they do and don't like about your services, products, and any other aspect of the market.
Unlike traditional static web pages where content seldom changes, an active blog changes regularly, often daily. This means that search engines index its content more frequently. Thus, given some skill and persistence on your part, a blog can improve your website search results rankings.
It helps to be real, visible, and personal in your blog. Post your picture; express your personality as well as your thoughts and opinions. It takes a little courage to do this, it’s true. But you may find that people will relate to you more than other businesses that haven’t humanized themselves with a blog. If people can relate to you, they’ll choose you when the need arises.
If you know how to type, connect to the Internet, and use a web browser, you can create a blog. New blogging software makes blogging easy. Caution though! If you can’t stand to write, or don’t have time for daily visits and updates, you’d better not blog. Choose a different way to promote your business.
Before you decide whether you have time for a blog, though, learn about how it could help your business. People have used blogs to attract new customers, decide where to open new branch locations, demonstrate expertise in their field, or build a buzz about a product, service, or issue.
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Think of developing your Internet presence as a project. Projects share these common tasks:
Define clear start and end points: The project starts when you decide to evaluate your readiness to take your business to the Web. It ends when your site is on the Internet and functioning as you have planned.
Identify necessary resources: Someone will need to devote effort to developing your site, either a dedicated person, a group, or someone who fits it in among other priorities. Who will develop your site - yourself? A partner or employee in your small business? Someone you hire?
Make a timeline: A timeline is a plan with milestones attached to specific dates. The Internet is a rapidly changing environment, with sites coming up and going down every month. This highly competitive environment may determine the speed you need to travel to get online. Set a target date for when your small business web presence will be up and running.
Determine a budget: eCommerce web sites run the gamut from simple and cost-effective, to complex and expensive. To create a budget, evaluate your site purpose and operation needs. Identify which of the following categories you belong to:
Small business sites with straightforward, low volume online buying and selling, small inventory size and low navigation complexity, using rented commercial server provider space will cost less. Cost range: $1,000 - $5,000.
Sites with larger volume of transactions, sizeable online catalogues and databases that are integrated to other systems in your business, and you own your server. Cost range: $5,000 - $20,000.
Highest volume selling sites, complex design and navigation, integration requirements to other internal data systems, intranet/extranet functionality, the highest levels of security for purchases and communication. Cost range: $20,000 - $100,000.
Click here to download an eBusiness Project Planning Chart
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Gather competitive intelligence by researching both "best practices" sites – those sites that stand out as leaders in their fields – and your direct competitors' websites. Collect information about the techniques they use. After you analyze best practices sites and your competitors' sites, begin your own strategic planning process. Use the questions at the end of this section to jump-start your thinking.
"Best Practices" Sites - Begin by looking at sites that may not be your direct competitors, but that do utilize techniques that you could apply in your E-Business. For example, if you intend to set up an online store, visit the web sites of successful online retailers - like Amazon.com, REI.com and LandsEnd.com - and analyze their sites’ features.
When you visit these sites, analyze the site content, design aspects, and functionality. Use a checklist such as the one below to record your observations of each site.
Content
Contact specifics (phone, address, e-mail, etc.)
Product descriptions, illustrations, specifications, buying and shipping instructions
Columns (Features, Opinions, News)
Interviews
Testimonials
Downloadable text
Sponsors
Design Aspects
Color (bold or subtle, large or small amounts)
Layout (bustling or simple)
Navigation approach (easy or complicated; fast or slow)
Graphics (heavy or light)
Use of links
Functionality
Security
Shopping Cart
Chatrooms
"Welcome back" feature to greet previous visitors
Online customer support
Interactive features
Competitor Sites - Next, look at your direct competitors’ websites. If they don’t have websites, find sites of businesses that could be your direct competitors (similar businesses in another geographic area, for example).
Next Steps - Answer these questions to decide which Internet techniques you intend to utilize in your web site:
What are the 3-5 content techniques I want for my site?
What are the top 3-5 design techniques?
What are the top 3-5 functionality areas?
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If your small business doesn't have a web site, consider launching one. The Internet is a very influential communications tool and it's growing fast. People surf for everything from news of recent scientific breakthroughs, to popular recipes, and even to choose a restaurant for tonight's dinner. The Internet levels the playing field for big and small businesses. A sole proprietor's web site can compete with a major corporation's. Here are some valuable benefits of the Internet for small businesses: - Facilitate communications. Email is readily accessible to most people -- Internet service with email and Internet access costs approximately $20 per month -- and it allows you to communicate instantly and inexpensively with your business partners and customers anywhere in the world. When compared with the telephone or postal mail, it is faster and cheaper, both for you and for your customers. Having a website for your business streamlines your communications. You can send people to your website from a link in an email, or have them email you from your website.
- Generate pre-qualified leads. Through promotions and special offers that you post at your web site, you can collect contact information from potential customers. Then using permission-based emails, you can market your products and services to people who have already shown that they are interested.
- Maximize your availability. Your customers and potential customers can contact you any time of day, from any time zone, through email. People can browse your site day or night to learn about your company and the products and services it offers.
- Reach around the globe. The Internet audience is worldwide. You can reach potential customers around the world without opening any new stores, or even traveling. You can translate your web site into the languages that suit your visitors' needs.
- Compete effectively. Using your website and other Internet marketing methods, you can compete with businesses that offer products and services similar to yours, but at a fraction of the cost you would incur for mounting an ad campaign in print, radio or television.
- Collaborate with business partners, suppliers, and employees. With the Internet, you have access to tools like instant messaging, virtual meetings, document sharing, and portal solutions. All of these tools facilitate on-line collaboration, with both internal teams and external business associates.
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