There’s no doubt now that regardless of what industry you’re in, you need to market your business online. The barriers to marketing online are low and the upside is huge!

While the benefits are almost never ending, here are 7 powerful reasons to get your business online and fast!

Credibility

Businesses that can be found online have more credibility. Why? Because your customers can get online and check you out.

More than ever, people are researching the internet before making buying decision. If you have a website that explains all of your services or products in detail, you’re more likely to get the sale.

Also, being online gives you a chance to list your qualifications. It provides a place to show off the associations you’re part of like the Better Business Bureau and so forth.

Cheap

Whoops! Did I say cheap? In business we say “cost effective”. For starters, getting a quality website up and running has never been easier. Gone are the days where you need to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on a company website.

It’s as simple as buying a domain, getting some hosting, and setting up a WordPress site – all of which can be done in a few hours.

Also, advertising your business is incredibly cost effective as you can set the exact amount you wish to spend and then see your immediate ROI. In fact, in many cases, you can produce amazing results advertising for free through places like Craigslist and Backpage. It’s a very low entry cost (free) with potential huge returns.

Customers

Your customers are online. Are they going to find you or your competition? Do all you can to get listed in the local search results. Learn to dominate your niche online. Be where your customers are looking for you.

Naturally you need to have a website, do some SEO, produce some great content, and connect through social media. That will put you in place to be found by your customers.

Connections

Once your customers have found you online, be sure to connect with them. With the various social media platforms, it’s never been easier to stay in touch with your customers.

You can increase traffic through your doors by offering specials through Groupon, Living Social, and Google Offers. You can build up customer loyalty by using tools like FourSquare and Facebook Places. You can even give customers “inside information” by connecting with them on Twitter or Facebook.

Close

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a salesperson that never calls in sick, works 24-7, and presents the exact right message to your customers every single time? You can! It’s your website!

Many companies still have “legacy websites”. These are the kind of sites that talk about a dopey mission statement, list hours of operation, and company address. Who cares!

Your customers are searching for a solution to their problems. Let your website (and your social media outlets) save the day! If done right, your website can “close” your customers automatically.

Customer Service

Because you’re a superstar at growing your business online, why not use the same tool to address all of your customer service concerns? One of the easiest ways to slim down customer service issues is to set up a F.A.Q.’s section on your website.

Want to address the concern immediately? Have one of your employees monitoring Twitter and get your customer an answer instantly. By interacting directly, you’ll resolve the problem quickly and your reviews on Yelp will skyrocket!

You can also use your awesome customer service skills to reward your best customers. As mentioned before, you can incentivize your customers by using platforms like Foursquare or Groupon. You can even offer secret deals if they join your mailing list or a special “elite members” closed Facebook page.

Cash

What business wouldn’t love to generate more revenue? Are you a brick and mortar business? What want or need does your business satisfy? Turn that expertise into an information product of some sort!

Let’s say you have a kitchen remodeling contractor. You can take your years of experience and create a series of how-to videos and sell them on your website.

What if you’re a product-based business? Let’s say, for example, you own a clothing boutique. You can create an online store that features your best clothing. You can even direct your in-store traffic to your website for special inside deals.

By creating on online portion of your business, it creates an additional revenue stream. It also takes your business from a local business to a global enterprise with unlimited income potential. In short, you become scalable.

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So there you have it. We’ve covered some of the basics of marketing your business online.

By doing just a little bit to market your business online, you’ll soon pull ahead of your competition. Do what it takes today to make sure you take advantage of the internet – the most powerful marketing tool ever invented.

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