When you think about it in a historical context, the internet has only been with us for a very brief time. It might have come as a surprise to some people, then, that this thing many thought would be a fad has stuck around and become so entrenched in the daily lives of almost every person on planet Earth. The internet was officially born on January 1, 1983. That makes 39 years of the internet being around, but even less than that amount of time of it being available to the public. That’s less than the average lifetime! The internet has become completely indispensable over this relatively short time: shopping is better online, games are better online, and work is definitely better when it’s online!
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Being online in one form or another is no longer something that the average person can ignore or avoid. Job searches take place almost entirely online, most advertising is now conducted online in various forms, and online sales often account for more than half of a given business’s profits. It is no longer an option but a necessity that a business has some sort of online presence if it wants to be successful. Though the kind of presence and how much work goes into it depends on the business and the industry, you simply can’t do without one. If you’re still not convinced, we’ll have you convinced by the time you’ve read all of our points! Let’s take a look.
1. Accessibility
If a person is looking for the best plumbers in their area, they could use the yellow pages..but it’s highly unlikely they will! The easiest way for a potential customer to access your information is via the internet. Your website doesn’t have to have all the bells and whistles if you want to keep it simple: just a good description of your services and a way to call or email you to get in touch. Accessibility is important because you want as many potential customers as possible to come across your name.
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2. Reaching A Wide Audience
While advertising in your neighbourhood or in your favourite print magazine is not a bad idea, this option means only a certain kind of person – the kind who lives in your neighbourhood or reads your favourite magazine – will see your advertisement. You need to reach as wide an audience as possible to ensure your best chance at getting customers over other businesses – that’s where the internet comes in!
3. Customer Relationships and Trust
These days not having an online presence that clients can look at makes people a little wary of your abilities or intentions. Having a place where people can learn about you and leave reviews, where customers can see images of your previous work and figure out whether you’re the right fit for them, helps to build trust and hopefully a returning customer base.
4. Easy Marketing
This is particularly true if you have a number of social media accounts as well as a website. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram make it really easy to market yourself with boosted posts and stories. They enable you to share all your best work on your feed at absolutely no cost and make it one of the most effective marketing tools out there.
5. Learning What Works
People online are NOT shy to tell you what they think. If you’ve done a job that wasn’t what a client was expecting, if you tried out a new work technique and it didn’t go as planned, if you share an Instagram post and it gets absolutely no interaction, you’ll learn what works and what doesn’t. Learning what does not work might be a harsh lesson and it might be difficult to swallow, but if you use that information well it can make your business better.
6. 24/7 Availability
While your business may not be big enough to be available for a chat at every hour of the day or night via a support team, being online means that people have access to information about you at all times of the day and night all over the world. If a potential client can’t sleep, is killing time browsing or is scrolling through social media on the bus to work, they might come across your site or profile.
7. Lower Costs
While there are some businesses that have to have a physical presence as well as an online one, some businesses, especially small and new ones, can benefit greatly from the reduced costs of operating entirely online. No rent, other than their home office and store room and no other overhead costs other than website maintenance and internet can be the break a new business needs to get on its feet.
Wrap Up
So, are you convinced now? We’re sure you are! It’s abundantly clear that having an online presence is a necessity in the modern world.
