Internet for Business
How the Internet Can Benefit Your Small Business
Internet Will Improve Productivity, Boost Profits If you run a small business, you should be using the Internet to improve your productivity and increase your profits. This applies whether you sell things, your services, or your knowledge. Institutions and non-profit organisations should also be harnessing this potent business tool. After all, you use a phone and fax to communicate, you list your business in directories, you have a business card and letterhead, and you use brochures, flyers and print ads to promote your organization and products. The Internet can help you do all of these - communicating with customers, advertising your business, promoting your products - often more efficiently, and at substantially lower cost. If you’re new to the Internet or unsure how this can be done, then it’s worth starting with our brief Internet Primer. It will give you a solid overview of the Internet, the World Wide Web, email and how these can benefit your business. Internet Understanding is Crucial Anyone in business today should at least understand the basics of e-commerce and the Internet. Yet it’s a paradox that the most experienced business people are often at risk because they cannot easily grasp how the Internet is changing the face of business. If you’re one of those, it’s likely you didn’t use computers at school or university, have managed so far without them and at this stage have neither the time nor inclination to start from scratch. But it’s never too late to learn and even a basic understanding means you’re less likely to be ambushed by new technology. It’s obvious that most small businesses will never become mini-Amazons - their products or services are simply not suitable for selling over the Internet. So, you’re probably asking, why bother learning this stuff? Fair question, but the Internet can be used for much more than selling products online. An Essential Ingredient of Your Marketing Mix The cost of buidling and maintaining a basic web site is low enough to fit within the budget of most small businesses, so this cost should be included when allocating funds for marketing. With a little planning, plus a sound understanding of the website’s purpose, the initial cost will be quickly recovered by: generating new leads improving customer service reducing your current marketing and advertising expenses. Bear in mind also there’s a new generation of potential customers who’ve grown up with the Internet. For them, using the Web to asses a product or service they need is instinctive.If you can’t offer this facility, you’re out of the loop - and that means discarding a growing pool of customers. No business today can afford to alienate or ignore potential customers, so rather make the effort now to understand how the Internet works. You can then take the next logical step and start using it as a business tool. Next ... Internet Primer	Home Internet Primer Business Website Domain Name Website Hosting Website Promotion Email Marketing Office Products Small Biz Blog Business Videos Links & Resources
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