|
Small Business Owners Embrace
the Internet By James Martell Thanks to the slowing economy, more and more business owners are being forced to tighten their belts. Sadly, this usually means letting go of valuable employees and introducing hefty budget cuts.
Many businesses simply no longer have the luxury of placing an ad in their local newspaper hoping it will bring in new clients or customers. As a result, small business owners are rolling up their sleeves to determine what’s working and what’s not. Mary Robson is just one of many business owners developing a new approach. Mary owns a bed and breakfast in my hometown and has noticed a drop in customers on account of dwindling tourism. As expected, a decrease in visitors has affected Mary’s bottom line. To help her get through the slow period, Mary is looking to the Internet for help. It’s a smart move. Most of us research a destination online, and Arlene and I are no exception. Whenever we plan a trip out of town, we use the Internet to research hotels, airfare, car rentals, and of course, accommodations.
Many small business owners think it’s just a matter of getting your name out there, but nothing could be further from the truth. Unfortunately for Mary, it seems as though she felt her online presence was complete. After hearing about the struggle at the bed & breakfast, Arlene and I sat down with Mary to make some suggestions. We wanted her to look at the Web as her primary method for attracting new customers. Mary now has a new website that was developed using WordPress, a free and easy to use content management system. This makes it very easy for her to perform updates (availability, special offers, etc.), which she couldn’t do with the old site.
Potential guests can even view a nice little video that was created by Johan Sandstrom, a mutual friend. Not only do they promote the business via the website, but the video also appears for free on YouTube to generate even more interest. Using the new site, Mary can secure visitors even in an undesirable economy, with future plans to add audio. She also intends to issue a newsletter, while Google AdWords will help to direct traffic to her site. Just by transforming her website, Mary has taken a major step towards improving her business. It looks like the downturn in the economy was just the thing Mary needed to give her bed & breakfast that extra push into cyberspace. Mary is not alone. If you run a small business, it may be time to explore the wealth of opportunities available on the Internet. Before you know it, you’ll be ready to share your own success story. All the best,
|
New to this page? Sign up for the Martell Newsletter above.
|
|
|
One area being hit
especially hard by the
downturn is
advertising, a major expense
for most businesses.
While Mary is no stranger to
the Internet, she has yet to
fully embrace its power. Her
website – which was put
together by a “friend” –
could use a facelift. To put
it mildly, it’s hurting.
