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How can a Small Business Benefit from Having a Website?
Feb 2006
A small business can greatly benefit from having a website. Some of the key benefits include:
Greater visibility of products and services
Businesses can now greatly expand their market presence through better visibility of their products and services on their website. Key characteristics, benefits, differentiators, etc. can be outlined on the website that some of your competition struggles to communicate. Some of your competitors however already have a website and are already communicating this information. Obtaining your own website early can equalize or enhance your competitive advantage. While small business usually starts marketing and competing in local, better understood markets, it is not neccesary to maintain a strict narrow focus. By harnessing the power of the Internet businesses can venture into international and regional markets, with greater ease. Websites, inherently allow tens, hundreds, and even thousands of products and services to be on view 24 hours a day, 7 days a week thus promoting wider viewing, and extended trading hours.
Freedom & Autonomy
Posting your own information on your website, and therefore the Internet, at any time of the day can be a liberating experience. The instantaneous nature of posting this information enables a small business to rapidly adapt and change conditions to see results to these changes much quicker than the altenatibes. Internet users and potentially your visitors and customers are increasing in numbers, at an alarming rate, approximately 50,000 per day. Businesses are thriving on the Internet because they have found a way to level the competive "playing field", with even the largest of corporations; and within a daily increasing customer marketplace.
Cost advantage
Businesses are extremely aware of how they can profit by being on the Internet; they can advertise their products and services without the huge costs, and delays of printing, publishing and distribution. This large market is a global one, which adds greater value to the costs outlaid for promotion and marketing effectively supplementing the traditional offline marketplace. E- commerce facilities can be incorporated into the website such as the VBS SiteBuilder E-Commerce Package, transforming 2D screen visuals into user reactive models, for example, consumers can order their products and services online, greatly reducing administration expenses. Reduction of telephone calls to potential customers; follow ups by email; newsletters digitally made, promoted by email or downloadable from the website, with reduction of distribution costs; less promotional material sent out, printed and wasted; extended trading hours without a human presence; are just a few ways to cut costs.
Conclusion
The current opinion is that any business not on the Internet now or in the near future is not only missing out on the rewards of this new and vibrant industry, but is adding itself to the list of "the forgotten". Don't waste time scratching your head wondering what the Internet can do to benefit your business, you will be left behind; instead, think about how you can take advantage of this new and cheap form of industry awareness. Take a look at the VBS SiteBuilder solutions and get started now.
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