5 Jaw Dropping Reasons Why You Should be Marketing Online
With so much being mentioned around us everyday about the internet, smartphones, social media, and other digital trends, it’s important for entrepreneurs and businesses to realize just how much positive impact the world wide web can have on your bottom line. If you just look at the numbers, you’ll realize that the internet is perhaps the most revolutionary invention in history for business. It is in effect, the great equalizer, allowing almost anyone to capitalize on just about any business idea or opportunity. Here are a few astounding stats, courtesy of eMarketer, that you should know.
1. Over ¾ of the total U.S. population will be online in 2012. That’s 239 million people in the States alone! I’d challenge anybody to mention a business market in which none of their customers are using the internet… excluding the Amish!
2. Mobile Internet usage will increase by 17% in 2012 and reach 114 million people in the U.S. More and more people are searching for products and services on the go. Is your business mobile-ready?
3. 2/3 of intenet users are using social media. That should tell you that sites like Facebook.com and Twitter.com are not just for kids. There’s serious potential in these two networks alone, with over 750 million worldwide users collectively.
4. 73% of of U.S. B2B information gatherers conducted purchase research using a search engine. Is your business showing up on Google or Bing when a potential customer is searching for your product/service?
5. YouTube reported 4 billion DAILY global online video views in 2011. If this number doesn’t blow you away, then I don’t know what will. People love videos way more than they love reading so your business needs to cater to that.
As you can see, the internet is ubiquitous, cost-effective, readily accessible, and it’s becoming the predominant destination for consumers. If you’re not marketing your services online, you’re missing out on valuable revenue dollars.
Don’t know where to begin?
If you currently do NOT have an online presence, stop everything and have a website built for your business. A website is your business’ foundation for all internet activity. Follow these steps:
First, purchase a domain name (i.e. yourbusiness. com) from a domain registry. I recommend GoDaddy.com. I buy all of my domains from them because they offer very low prices and awesome customer service.
Next, you’ll need hosting for your new website. Think of hosting as your website’s home. It’s an online space where your website lives. I recommend using Web Hosting Hub. Our website, blog, and many of our clients’ sites are hosted there.
Lastly, contact us (or a provider of your choice) and have a website built. The advantages of having a professionally built site are self explanatory, but do know that there are also inexpensive resources that allow you to build a website yourself. Wix, for instance, offers a simple website builder that requires no coding. Plus, its only $99/year, but comes with caveats, so be warned.
For more information on mobile internet, video, and social media, check out the Million Dollar Marketing blog or shoot me an email with your questions!
Cheers,
“C.PAYNE” (one name)
