| All businesses, since 1995, have at one time or another considered how the Internet might impact their business. There seems to be the idea that a Web site is a "must-have," but many have challenges identifying just how a Web site might actually contribute to the bottom line. Most have e-mail accounts; few actively use e-mail as a marketing tool. And while businesses spend thousands a year buying, maintaining and updating computers and software, a very small percentage have learned that there are many low-cost Web-based applications available that will give a business comparable functionality, but for only pennies a day. Indeed, after almost a decade, the Internet has yet to be as influential a force for small businesses as it was promised in the beginning.
The Internet is omnipresent, to be sure, but the small businesses of America are only leveraging the smallest benefits of what many regard as the most important technological development of the twentieth century. Big business has not been as hesitant. Because larger entities have in-house computer gurus, the adoption of Internet-based services has been rapid and the effect has been both obvious and substantial.
The failure of most small businesses to identify and capitalize on the power of the Internet lies not in the proprietorís lack of desire to grow and prosper; it is most likely due to a very common misappropriation of trust and confidence. Since the Internet involves computers, it is understandable that a person might look to their computer retailer, programmer, or even computer-savvy nephew, for advise on the Internet. While these are good resources for solving connectivity issues, they are not the best source of professional insight into leveraging the power of this incredible medium for other aspects of business operations.
For the Internet to truly be a powerful asset for business, small business owners should spend some time understanding and discovering creative opportunities for using the World Wide Web, e-mail and other such tools. You might be surprised at the rather low-cost, low-risk ways you might be able to use the Internet to increase business and ultimately your profitability. A "Web Engineer" or likewise experienced Internet marketing expert can help you identify successful ways of using the Internet.
Service-oriented businesses have discovered that the proper kind of Web site can lower their cost of doing business by providing customers with means of easily requesting service, scheduling service calls, or even asking for advice. Weíve seen many such businesses deliver a higher level of service by providing customers with an easy way of providing complete, clear information leading to a more productive delivery of service.
One client uses a rather modest Web site to not only demonstrate the quality and value of their product, which is primarily used by state and county highway departments, but provides an interactive tool that creates complete bid specifications for the government purchaser. This saves the customer hours of work in constructing a Request for Bid, while assuring that the specifications for the bid match the unique aspects of the clientís product offering - thus virtually assuring our client of a successful bid award.
Wholesale and manufacturing businesses have quickly and cost-effectively created global markets for their products after employing an on-line marketing Web site. Rather than printing expensive catalogs and spending money on postage, a well-crafted Web presence can bring competent buyers that would otherwise never be discovered.
A manufacturing client is using their Web site to not only present their products in a complete and detailed fashion, but to attain qualified business leads for their established dealers. Additionally, the client provides ready-made content, graphics and other tools for their dealers, thereby cementing their relationship and outpacing their competition.
In 1996, we built the first Web site for a car dealer that allowed a buyer to not only choose the model they liked, but also to choose all their desired options and colors. Once selected, the buyer was presented with a discounted, "on-line" price and could submit their choices immediately to the dealer for a check of inventory and availability. The site also included an on-line financing application. This solution immediately generated additional sales for the dealer, particularly from out-of-town buyers. Today, this is a common feature of auto purchasing sites, but at the time, it simply answered the question posed: "how do I reach the online buyer so that they actually buy."
This question is the one you should ask yourself as you look at your own business. Go online and see what your competition is doing. See what others in your field are doing to leverage the Internet. You may find some truly inspired solutions. On the other hand, you may be surprised to find little or no aggressive on-line competition. Does that mean buyers are not buying your type of product or service on the Web? Not necessarily. It could simply point to the fact that business has only scratched the surface of Internet opportunity. The creative use of this medium has not been sated.
Only recently, in talking with a small business in Port Lavaca, we discovered that: a) the business achieved about 70% of their yearly sales volume by selling one product, b) the product is heavily used by hundreds of companies along the Gulf Coast, and c) no one in the industry sells a similar product on-line. Opportunity? We think so. Expensive to implement? Not really. By focusing on the one product, the online presence will be efficient and small. And once built, research suggests this small investment could easily double the clientís business in the first year.
The power of the Internet is still both kinetic and elusive. No one doubts its potential to be a powerful ally to business. Only a few have truly discovered how keenly the Internet can help their business.
If you need to increase your business - either in sales, efficiency or margin - spend some time with a competent Web engineer. Like your lawyer, accountant, computer service person, or advertising agency, a good Web engineer can be a valuable part of your team.
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