Business Growth in Y2K. Small Businesses Still Not Getting It?

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Business Growth in Y2K. Small Businesses Still Not Getting It?

Date Added: April 09, 2009 04:22:09 AM

Author: Derek Brown

Category: Media and Advertising: marketing and promotions

The growth and demand of the internet has shrunk Goliath down to David size and created a playground where the smallest of castle builder need not worry about getting sand kicked in their face. Armed with an internet connection and a computer, Joe Public working from home can transform a small office into a global (or local) business force. Small businesses, whether their target is local, or global, have the tools available to market themselves to millions of customers a day, and at a cost that might have rewarded them with thousands of views per quarter in a yellow pages ad 10 years ago. But they still don't get it. The web remains a 2nd cousin twice removed. And they continue to miss out on some 80% of their potential sales. Last weekend I stepped into a pawn shop not far from home to look for a microphone for my church. I commented to the store owner that I had searched the web for a pawn shop in this area and nothing came up, I was on my way to the music store that DID come up, but happened to spot his building as I was driving past. I commented that he should strongly consider an online presence. He informed me that they had a MySpace page, and that "We're putting our money into marketing, not our website." Let me throw that at you one more 'gin "We're putting our money into marketing, not our website." Does that statement make absolutely no sense to anyone else out there? I certainly hope so! According to The Kelsey Group, a Princeton, NJ based Research Company, "70% of U.S. households now use the Internet as an information source when shopping locally for products and services as compared to 45% usage of the yellow pages." The national numbers aren't far off. According to Jupiter Media, over 64% of people who are looking for information online, use search engines. So why would any business dedicate a large portion of their marketing budget to the phone book dinosaur? As a business owner, the last thing I want is to give my prospects a detailed list of my competitors, including addresses and phone numbers. That is exactly what the Yellow Pages do. Using search engines, you can differentiate yourself from everyone else. So when the ideal client is looking for what you do, they find you, not all your competitors. If you are “siteless” at the moment you have some serious catch-up work to do. The good news is there are a lot of up to bats left, and one home run puts you right back in the game. If you are still loving the traditional Yellow Pages think about these suggestions. 1) Take a good hard look at your Yellow Page investment. What did it cost you last year compared to the business that came from it? If that return on investment is acceptable, keep doing it. However if you find yourself saying "I don't know", then that's a serious problem. To ease the separation, keep the yellow pages ad, just make it smaller. Take the 50% you save and use it to directly drive online prospects to your web site. 2) Own Your Own Web - If you are in a directory and it has created a simple site for you, don't worry about tracking traffic, you probably aren't getting any. 3) Measure - Look at your site. You should know how many people come to your site. If you are signed up with an online or directory service, get your numbers from them. Google analytics is free, and provides tons of information to help you optimize and improve your traffic and conversions. 4) Add Relevant Location Text to your Site - People today are using search engines to find what you do in your city. 5) Start Using the Online Marketing Model Now! About The Author Derek Storme Brown1 is CEO of WebXsposure.com2. As a Google Certified Adwords Professional, SEO Certified Professional, and Web Site Design and Usabilty Expert he has worked with hundreds of clients around the world, improving their usability, serviceability, and online visibility. WebXsposure helps clients discover. recover. and retain customers online with a balanced combination of engaging and functional content management system web site design, Site visibility optimization, and search engine marketing strategy, implementation and management.