Internet Marketing: 5 Reasons Why Your Business Must Have an
Online Presence
By Dean Mercado
The Internet has officially changed the face of
business and in case no one has done this for you already, let me be
the first to formally welcome you to the “Information Age”, or
should we call it the “Internet Age”.
The Internet is simply not a fad or a flavor of
the week. It is the real deal and it is here to stay. It may morph
in one way, shape, or form however, it is here to stay and the most
successful businesses are taking advantage of it.
So why exactly should you take your business
online? Although there are tons of reasons, here are 5 key ones:
1. It is expected. Quite simply, the
Internet is one the first (if not the first) places people look to
find out more about you, your business, and/or your product. They
look for your website as well as information they can find out about
you from other websites. Yes, I dare say it, in 99.9% of the cases,
it will damage your credibility to some degree with a prospect if
you cannot be found out there.
2. It is cheap. Never in history has a
marketing medium been available to all businesses, no matter the
size of their company or bank account that afforded them so much
possibility for success.
Obviously money if applied properly can
increase your results on the Internet; however, you really can get
started with little or no money. Skeptical, just read some of the
books from the “Guerrilla Marketing” series by Jay Conrad Levinson.
3. It is immediate. Face it. We live
in a world of instant gratification. We want everything yesterday.
If something is not immediately available, we just may lose interest
or worse yet get it from somewhere else – like your competition.
4. It is 24/7. The Internet simply
never sleeps. Having and implementing an effective Internet
strategy can be like having a well tuned marketing and sales force
that continues to do your bidding around the clock.
5. It is global. Why limit your
business to the 15 minute radius surrounding your office? Your
current competition certainly isn’t and new competitors are
seemingly coming out of nowhere every day.
Look at the Internet as a means to allow you to
share your genius with prospects who otherwise might not have had
the opportunity to experience what you have to offer.
So in closing, what’s the best advice I can
muster up on this topic? Make a sincere effort to understand the
Internet and the sheer power and opportunity it brings to your
business. Create a plan of attack and get in the game. Play on the
grandest court available today, the Internet!
© 2005 Online Marketing Muscle -- All Rights
Reserved.
Dean Mercado is an Internet marketing coach, strategist, author,
and speaker. Dean and his company Online Marketing Muscle help
entrepreneurial professionals leverage the power of Internet
marketing to turn their businesses into money magnets. Visit
Online Marketing Muscle for many more Internet marketing tips. |
