Simple online brochure is better than no website at all

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Simple Online Brochure Can Help Your Small Business

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Basic Online Brochure is Better Than Nothing
Many e-commerce and Internet marketing specialists tend to dismiss the humble "internet brochure" as a waste of time.
They also warn against free hosting of your website, because this usually means you don't have your own domain name and it makes your business look unprofessional.
With free hosting, your site usually "piggybacks" on the host's name, giving you a Web address like this: www.serviceprovider.com/jd/johnsdeli/, rather than like this: www.johnsdeli.com.
Of course it looks more professional to have your own domain name .... but for a small business that's testing the Internet waters and not planning to sell goods over the Net, the free hosting option can be quite adequate.
It will give you an edge over your competitors who have no Web presence at all.
Example: I live in a smallish city called Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. Out of interest, I went into the Web site www.pietermaritzburg.co.za (a fairly logical place to look) to see which local businesses were:

listed in the directory section, and
which had websites.

The website advantage
Under "Accommodation", I called up "Bed & Breakfasts" and found more than 230 listed for the city, with names and phone numbers. Of these, only about 30 had paid extra to include a one-page website under their listing.
Now take this scenario: a couple from Johannesburg, about 500km to the north, need to spend two days in the smaller city.
Whatever the reason - maybe to attend a conference or trade show - they need accommodation. The wife logs on to the Internet on her home PC and connects to the above-mentioned website to look for Bed & Breakfast accommodation.
Rather than phone each listed B&B to find out their rates, location, facilities etc, she logically opts first to check those with their own websites.
All the essential details are there
A single, inexpensive web page comprising a photo, map and some text can tell you a lot about the B&B. All the essential details — appearance, locality, prices, facilities — are there for our visitor to see and print out if she wants a hard copy.
She's likely to browse through the B&Bs that have their own websites and find something suitable, without even bothering to look at the others.
The above scenario is not exactly high-powered e-commerce. But competition among B&Bs for guests is fierce and those that follow fundamental business principles while utilising technology to attract customers will always have the edge. And the same applies to many other small businesses - from electricians to dentists.

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Last updated: March 2008. Copyright © 2006-2008 Scotch Macaskill, 18 Strawberry Fields, 36 College Road, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Tel: +27 33 3422811. Privacy: Your privacy is guaranteed. Personal information, including email addresses, will never be sold or given to third parties. See our Privacy Policy for further details.

Internet for Business
Simple Online Brochure Can Help Your Small Business
Home > Articles > Basic Online Brochure Basic Online Brochure is Better Than Nothing Many e-commerce and Internet marketing specialists tend to dismiss the humble "internet brochure" as a waste of time. They also warn against free hosting of your website, because this usually means you don't have your own domain name and it makes your business look unprofessional. With free hosting, your site usually "piggybacks" on the host's name, giving you a Web address like this: www.serviceprovider.com/jd/johnsdeli/, rather than like this: www.johnsdeli.com. Of course it looks more professional to have your own domain name .... but for a small business that's testing the Internet waters and not planning to sell goods over the Net, the free hosting option can be quite adequate. It will give you an edge over your competitors who have no Web presence at all. Example: I live in a smallish city called Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. Out of interest, I went into the Web site www.pietermaritzburg.co.za (a fairly logical place to look) to see which local businesses were: listed in the directory section, and which had websites. The website advantage Under "Accommodation", I called up "Bed & Breakfasts" and found more than 230 listed for the city, with names and phone numbers. Of these, only about 30 had paid extra to include a one-page website under their listing. Now take this scenario: a couple from Johannesburg, about 500km to the north, need to spend two days in the smaller city. Whatever the reason - maybe to attend a conference or trade show - they need accommodation. The wife logs on to the Internet on her home PC and connects to the above-mentioned website to look for Bed & Breakfast accommodation. Rather than phone each listed B&B to find out their rates, location, facilities etc, she logically opts first to check those with their own websites. All the essential details are there A single, inexpensive web page comprising a photo, map and some text can tell you a lot about the B&B. All the essential details — appearance, locality, prices, facilities — are there for our visitor to see and print out if she wants a hard copy. She's likely to browse through the B&Bs that have their own websites and find something suitable, without even bothering to look at the others. The above scenario is not exactly high-powered e-commerce. But competition among B&Bs for guests is fierce and those that follow fundamental business principles while utilising technology to attract customers will always have the edge. And the same applies to many other small businesses - from electricians to dentists. Back to Articles
Last updated: March 2008. Copyright © 2006-2008 Scotch Macaskill, 18 Strawberry Fields, 36 College Road, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Tel: +27 33 3422811. Privacy: Your privacy is guaranteed. Personal information, including email addresses, will never be sold or given to third parties. See our Privacy Policy for further details.