The internet is truly a web of confusing and misleading opinions. What role does it play for the small business owner and can it really add any value?
There are two key aspects you need to consider when deciding what role the internet can play in your business.
E-Brochure:
Do you need/want an e-brochure ie are you looking for a website to showcase your company and build credibility with your potential customers?
OR
E-Commerce:
Do you need/want to be able to sell your wares over the internet with a secure online payment gateway?
The first option is quicker, cheaper and easier to develop. It supports your bricks and mortar business. Ultimately all you require is a few key pages with some well written text on them: Home Page, About Us, Contact Us and maybe one or two Technical Pages to describe various features of what you do and how you do it. This should not cost the earth and there are a lot of online alternatives if you are fairly IT savvy to do it yourself.
The second option is more complex. This is where you need to give consideration to whether you could convert your bricks and mortar business into an online equivalent and change your business to one that achieves greater reward for perhaps lower overheads. This option requires a comprehensive web brief and, more likely than not, you’ll need a good web developer that can do the back-end programming to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Whichever option you choose you must spend a little time on search engine optimisation techniques. For without this you will end up winking in cyberspace!
Finally, write an effective marketing plan to ensure you understand how the internet can support your other marketing activities.
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