Local Websites Work For Small Business
By Tanner Johnson
I’m not sure how many times I’ve heard local business owners say that the Internet doesn’t really apply to their business. When we started our business adventure in 1999, I think that many businesses could have made a strong argument that that was true. The Internet had not really impacted their business, because the new business they needed to continue to grow was being delivered by phone book advertising.
Phone book usage is declining. They pile up in our office once or twice a year, laughing in the face of David’s hope for a society that creates less waste. I am not here to in any way degrade the value of paper book advertising, as it continues to be successful for all types of businesses. However, a shift in how people acquire information is already underway.
Twenty years ago if you needed to look something up, you either had access to a book at your home or office, or went to the library. No one I know is going to the library to look stuff up, they use a search engine. Once you figure out you can look up won the 1985 World Series to settle a bet (it was the Royals) from your home computer, you no longer consider getting in the car to find the answer.
Consumers are figuring out that not only can you settle a bet on-line, you can find out who provides heat and air services when your air conditioner goes out in the middle of the summer. The days where the Internet doesn’t apply to local businesses have already started to fade.
One thing I find many business owners don’t understand is the purpose of having a website. This purpose is simple, you have a website to grow your business and make more money. If you have one for any other reason, it is an expense. If you don’t know why your company has a website, it is an expense.
Having had the opportunity to meet a lot of business owners, I come to understand how busy we all are. The bottom line is that the web is a time and financial cost of doing business that didn’t exist 15 years ago. Also part of the bottom line is that it is also an opportunity that didn’t have a lot of impact for small business 15 years ago. With today’s Internet usage numbers, an investment in a website capable of attracting new customers can make a significant impact on small businesses.
Everyone has heard it, and it doesn’t make it any less true, your website is much more than a paper book listing. Paper advertising limits the amount of information you can provide on your business. If your website is simply a listing of your services, it is most likely not making you any money.
When properly executed, your website accurately represents the value customers receive when they do business with you. Unless you’re in a commodity industry you can sell value and don’t have to compete exclusively on price. Consumers able to shop value will not select the low price provider if they think they will have a better experience with a higher priced option.
Until a consumer has the opportunity to do business with you, the only value you provide is what they perceive. Consumer perception is no longer formed by the size and design of your paper book ad. If someone is searching for you on-line, the value of your products and services is represented by your website.
Local businesses will begin to compete more aggressively for consumers shopping local service online. As this competition increases, under representing the value of your company on-line is going to have a magnified impact on your bottom line. If perception is reality, then a gap of between how your products and services look on-line, and perform in the real world, is a missed opportunity.
