What can the Internet REALLY do for me? - 12 KEY BENEFITS
In my conversations with business people i've noticed a
surprising lack of understanding about the Internet and its
potential for their business. Most know it is important for
business in general but dont really know why. Few really
understand what it can specifically do for their organisation,
"What can the Internet really do for me?" This article aims to
answer this fundamental question by identifying some key
benefits to help you start reaping the benefits of the internet
for your business today.
At its most basic level, the Internet provides you with an
opportunity to publish a website at a specified www address.
Anyone armed with this address can then type it in to their
computer and access your website at anytime day or night from
any (internet enabled) computer located anywhere around the
globe. This starts to give you some idea of the potential power
and reach of the internet. Just stop and think about that for a
moment. Your website and anything you place on it will be
accessible around the world, anytime, by any of the estimated
450 million internet users. Thats some potential eh? Internet
benefits for you: it enables you to reach new customers and
markets. Plus there's the supreme convenience of the internet's
instant, anytime, anywhere built-in characteristics.
Actually I think a website is more than a mere storage area for
your web pages, it becomes a sort of 'focus point' to your
customers, largely due to its convenience and text/visual
format. People make purchasing decisions based on all sorts of
questions and anxieties, either real or otherwise. A website
provides a place where they can help themselves to find out more
and answer those questions and anxieties or take any other
action. Thats an often overlooked internet benefit that wasnt
really possible previously: easy self-service. If they cant find
what they want, they can simply send you a message from your
website and await the tailored response. Another benefit: rapid
and personal communication.
Clearly, what you put on your website and how you present it is
therefore very important. Your website's visitors will start to
build an impression of your organisation and products based on
what they see there in the first few seconds of their arrival.
Both its content and presentation should reflect you and
everything you do well and should therefore get the research and
attention it deserves. Thats another benefit: flexibility of
content and ability to add /update it instantly. Too many sites
remain static. If you can, try to attract and engage visitors by
keeping your site up-to-date with fresh content. By the way,
when i say product i mean this in a very universal way,
including products, services, information and any other item you
may offer.
All you need now is some promotion to get the word out that your
website is up, running and eager to help your new prospects. You
can use the internet to find and contact companies, newsletters,
publishers, etc. and to arrange your promotions and advertising
on any industry or topic you choose. This of course is the
internet's speciality and a key benefit for you to use: easy
access to information on every topic imaginable.
Now, if you do your homework and promotion for your new website
well, you'll soon start to get prospects looking around your
site and viewing your content. Ideally, they will arrive, read
exactly what they want to and buy your product immediately. They
click to purchase the product and bingo you've made a sale. At
this point you smile with satisfaction and sit back as your bank
completes the transaction and deposits the payment into your
bank account. You havent even been involved in the transaction.
Automation and new revenues: significant internet benefits.
Alternatively, if they havent just read what they wanted to: do
they want further information before making a decision? Are they
just not ready to buy yet? Are they just not going to buy
regardless of what you provide? Ideally you should cater for all
these scenarios to get as many sales as possible. This is an
often overlooked internet benefit. The opportunity to interact
and in this case cater to different needs. Ie. Want to know
more? Click this link. Then they could see some specifically
written text with more depth, etc.
However tempting it may be, when you've made the sale dont sit
back glowing in that internet glory for too long because there's
more to do. Are you happy with one sale or would you prefer
more? Of course, given the choice you'd choose more wouldn't
you? What if you now produced a useful regular newsletter sent
by email and asked them if they would like to receive it? You're
on your way to getting more sales from them, instead of that one
initial purchase that you may have settled for before the
internet arrived. More Internet benefits i yell! The ability to
send newsletters/ ezines quickly, easily and cheaply without
traditional stationery and postage costs. Plus its practically
guaranteed to be read by the recipient.
Now you have the opportunity to build up a mailing list of
prospects and customers who want regular contact from you. They
want you to send them useful information, special offers,
product announcements, etc. Whether they bought a product from
you or not initially they are starting a relationship with you.
If you do it correctly they'll begin to trust you and your
recommendations and ultimately buy more products further down
the line.
Your existing customers may appreciate this type of new
attention too. Previously they may have felt abandoned after
their first and only purchase and maybe you havent contacted
them since. This is an excellent way to keep existing customers
happy and loyal, which again will likely mean more sales further
down the line. Ultimately what you are doing here is building
strong relationships with your customers. They've probably never
had this kind of attention and focus before. Yes, another
internet benefit. Do it right and you will positively stand out
from everyone else they deal with who doesnt treat them in this
attentive way. What more could you want? What more could they
want?
I hope you've seen that if you put the thought and effort into
your website, your business can reap the benefits of the
Internet. There are more benefits than those i've covered here
too. Try to use them all to offer something new or unique. Be
creative in your thinking and identify how they can benefit you
and your customers regardless of your industry and business
model. What can the Internet really do for me?
Target and reach new customers and markets with your products.
Sell your products to those new customers and markets.
Sell more products to your existing customers and markets.
Be open 24 hours a day/7 days a week/52 weeks per year.
Be convenient and interactive. Customers love to help themselves
anytime, anywhere, etc.
Generate awareness and credibility in new online world.
Build stronger relationships with your customers than ever
before.
Get regular, guaranteed reading of your offers by customers who
are already interested in them.
Use facility to tailor content and update immediately.
Utilise rapid communication between you and your customers.
Personalise all communications for higher impact, eg. Hi
Peter...
Good luck!
Peter Simmons is editor of the DYNAMIQ EZINE. GET RESULTS FROM
YOUR WEBSITE TODAY! Attract traffic, reach new customers, sell
your products, build customer relationships, generate profits,
stand out from the crowd and more... SUBSCRIBE NOW TO START
GETTING RESULTS at http://www.dynamiq.co.uk/ezine
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