Why Your Local Business MUST Be Online
An article just posted on eMarketer presents a striking statistic from Nielson Online: 58% of people who shop for consumer electronics in the U.S. will use the internet to research their purchasing decision. This is compared to a mere 8% who would field advice from friends and family. And these are not consumers who ultimately bought the product online, but who purchased from a bricks-and-mortar store.
Now, consumer electronics is a category of goods that might lend itself to this kind of pre-purchase research more than other types of goods and services. But this statistic should nevertheless give pause to any small business owner.
I’ve said it before and can’t say it enough. Whatever goods and services you are selling, in today’s rapidly changing economy you won’t be able to compete unless you have an effective online presence. The culture has long since passed the tipping point where using the internet was something reserved only for the young and tech-savvy. The rise and dominance of Google, among other factors, has created an environment where people feel that the world, literally, is at their fingertips, and they expect to find what they need easily and quickly.
Still, even I was surprised that online research trumped traditional word-of-mouth so handily. I know that if I was shopping for something in a heavily competitive market, or something that involved complicated choices, like choosing a new cell phone provider, I would ask around for opinions from people I trust. What makes online consumer research so enticing?
First, the faltering U.S. economy and the high price of gas are making people not only drive less and stay at home more, but also exercise more caution in t heir spending. When you are allocating your disposable income more carefully, you are going to put more effort into researching your options so you can be confident you’ve made the right choice. The internet is the best way to acquire the most information in the shortest possible time. It’s more efficient to make all your decisions in advance before you leave the door.
Also, the internet can be addictive, and surfing is still enough of a novelty that even people who aren’t actively seeking out a purchase may casually look for websites related to their product of interest. If I was toying with the idea of buying a new TV, say, I would probably while away some of my idle time comparison shopping online. The more I learned about my wish-product, the closer I would get to diving in and buying.
So, your job as a small business owner is to make you have a internet presence that can easily be found by shoppers. What have you done this week to add to your online profile…?
Bravo!
This is a great piece and validates what most business owners (large and small) are learning on the their own, the hard way.
Those that leverage these undeniable trends are outperforming their competitors.
When businesses aren’t sure if their customers are looking for their products and services online, I ask them to think about how THEY use the internet…then it all makes perfect sense…and they can’t get into the search engine marketing space fast enough…of course it improves the bottom line best when it’s done correctly and targets your most qualified prospects, but that’s another discussion.
Bravo! I’ll be checking future posts!
Rebecca,
Thanks for the comment, and yes exactly it’s amazing how few small business owners put two and two together, there sometimes seems to be a disconnect, even when they do their comparison shopping online.
A whopping YES! Those small business owners that “get it” are dominating the web locally. Once they understand how easy it is to get online and use a few of these Web 2.0 properties and develop a online profile and presence they become addicted to the results.
I just had a personal trainer I was helping place well on some local keywords on her niche and she started within just a couple weeks getting new clients.
All she did was start a blog and get a local free listing with Google Local and we got her a double listing on Page 1 for several of her major keywords.
This type of marketing is doable and produces results. The question is how do we get more small biz owners to digest this and see that it’s not that hard to do…?
Hey Coach, I just found your site yesterday and I can tell I really need it. I just found out about Google's LBC and Places earlier this week. I know that the company I work for and several other local businesses really need to get schooled on this as soon as possible. Thanks and I'm sure I'll be asking questions on your other posts here real soon. Mike
@Mike Sireci – Glad you are finding the info useful!