The Importance Of Online Presence For A Small Business
Guest Post Author: Carol Wilson
If you’re running a small business, regardless of your area of experience, it’s imperative that you establish some sort of online presence. If you don’t want to have an entire website designed for your company, you can always utilize free services to make your services known online. You can set up a blog for free using blogging platforms like WordPress or Blogger, or you could utilize one of the many free social networking services like Twitter or Facebook and create a profile for your company. Your company could be accessible to so many more interested parties if you brought it to the web. Still not convinced? Here are a few advantages that may sway you.
Free Exposure
The free and potentially limitless exposure is the most compelling argument for bringing a small business to the web. The exposure alone should lure small businesses, especially if they have a small client base. Your business can be accessible to any person looking for your offered services; your company would no longer be hindered by its geographic location. You could have clients in other cities, states, or even in distant countries. The most advantageous thing about the web from a business perspective is its ability to market an enterprise constantly. You could look at your company’s internet presence as perpetual free advertising. People may be browsing the web and stumble across your business at any time. All you need to do is make it possible for people to find your business.
Portray your Company as Web-Savvy
We’re not in the late nineties where websites were relatively few and far between. Whether it’s a local restaurant, retail store, school, you name it: everyone has an online presence in one way or another. To neglect the web is to make your company appear archaic and behind the times, which could isolate potential customers. People may interpret your company’s nonexistent web presence as an unwillingness to embrace change. The point is an easy one: if you want to appeal to a wider customer base, go online.
Network
The web can also help a small business network with other small businesses. Sites like LinkedIn foster an online environment for networking among like-minded businesspeople. You can make connections with respectable peers at a rate that you simply can’t match in person. You could consult with businesspeople in your line of work for first-hand advice on establishing an internet presence, or you could just get a feel for the online small business community. Don’t be discouraged by negative press you might hear: most people on well regarded networking sites like LinkedIn are nice people willing to impart wisdom to newcomers.
Byline:
This is a guest post from Carol Wilson. She contributes articles about a variety of marketing, business, stock market, small business topics.
