A lot of people used to feel a little nervous and uneasy about taking a tentative first step into the infinite winding corridors of creepy Cyberspace.
I can still remember the days when logging on to the internet was just something that slightly strange people did in their bedrooms, whilst running up frankly ridiculous telephone bills.
Ah, great memories…
Since then, the internet has rapidly developed into a much friendlier and more accessible element of our everyday lives.
Thankfully, it’s much cheaper too!
There surely can’t be that many people left on the planet who would feel particularly cautious about diving into Cyberspace and squeezing out every last drop of potential from the myriad of thrilling new digital opportunities?
In fact, a whopping 90% of Aussie homes are now internet-enabled, so you could be forgiven for imagining that the overwhelming majority of Small to Medium Sized Australian Businesses would be doing everything possible to connect with such a huge online audience.
But according to a new report from Sensis, it would appear that a surprisingly big chunk of Aussie SMBs are still a little apprehensive about harnessing the full mighty power of the internet.
Only 62% of the surveyed businesses had a website up and running, whilst just 15% of the respondents had a solid digital strategy in place.
So, could it be the case that far too many Aussie business owners are still trembling with fear at the thought of taking the bold jump into Cyberspace?
What exactly is holding us back and slowing us down?
Well, I’m not quite convinced that we’re all constantly quaking with fright under our computer desks.
Personally, I’ve only done that a few times this week, and that was just to hide from Old Bert whenever I heard that he was in a bit of a bad mood.
I’m sure that many Small Business owners simply don’t feel compelled to pour valuable resources into building and nurturing a strong online presence.
Many of those Aussie businesses without a website to their name may just be of the opinion that they wouldn’t really reap much benefit from a dedicated website.
In certain rare cases, they might even have a point.
But the recent Sensis report shows that 72% of those SMBs with a website are happy to state that their website has significantly improved the effectiveness of their business, as they tend to receive more enquiries, have more exposure to the market, and are able to raise more widespread awareness.
So, if you’re running a small business but genuinely do find the whole internet thing to be a little bit daunting or intimidating, it could be that you’re missing out on some of the lucrative rewards of the digital age.
The good news is that creating a strong and healthy online presence for your business is much easier that you might dare to imagine in your darkest internet nightmares!
So, let’s just take a very brief look at the Small Business Cyberspace Checklist to see how many boxes you’ve bravely managed to tick off so far…
Swimming with Social Media
It couldn’t be any easier to get the ball rolling by setting up simple pages for your business on popular Social Media channels.
It only takes a few minutes to get your own page up and running on Facebook…but don’t forget that the whole universe doesn’t completely revolve around Facebook alone.
Take the time to explore some equally intriguing platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest, all of which have the power to connect your business with alternative chunks of the audience that may otherwise have been missed.
Whichever platforms you ultimately decide to embrace, remember that the golden rule is to regularly dish up fresh new content and engage with your followers as much as possible!
Weaving a Website
As business owners become increasingly reliant on Social Media pages, there seems to be a real risk of overlooking the enormous advantages of a dedicated business website.
It’s obviously much easier and quicker to sign up with a Social Media service than it is to create a stylish and functional website with the professional polish that your business deserves.
But if you’ve been scared off by frightening thoughts of all the time and worry and escalating expenses that go into the construction of an attention-grabbing professional website, then stay tuned to the Martin Print Blog over the next couple of weeks for some very exciting news…
Getting Busy with Blogging
The whole concept of running a regularly updated Business Blog could quite reasonably be viewed as something of an acquired taste.
It’s fair to say that not everybody in Small Business is going to have the time or even the inclination to keep on dishing up fresh content on such a frequent basis.
But the rewards are certainly there to be reaped if you fancy taking on the creative challenge!
Click here to see why regular blogging can pull in powerful new results for your business, or check out my recent article for tips and pointers on how to cook up the content!
Going Viral with Video Marketing
Here’s an opportunity which often gets quickly dismissed or completely overlooked by the Small Business owner.
Creating your own video might seem to be a particularly daunting prospect at first, but we’re really not talking about investing millions of dollars into a lavish movie-shoot.
Some of the most popular viral marketing videos of all time were just incredibly simple concepts which were produced with a shoestring budget!
So it’s certainly worth taking a look at some fun and quirky visual ideas which could be much easier to bring to life than you first feared…
Maximum Mobile Potential
One of the most important elements of your digital strategy should be a strong focus on retaining the attention of the Smartphone crowd!
A constantly growing number of potential new customers will be trying to access your website and online marketing material from their mobile phones.
Despite this very clear trend, there is still far too much online content out there which simply hasn’t been optimised for the Smartphone user.
Even the most enthusiastic website visitor is likely to turn their attention elsewhere if all they can see on their pocket-sized screen is a bunch of empty boxes and some buttons that they can’t even press!
Take a look at this earlier Blog article for further insight on how to ensure that your web content is 100% mobile-friendly!
The Small Business Big Experiment
For the ultimate test of bravery in this Small Business Cyberspace Checklist, let’s have a look at how experimental you really are!
It’s always very tempting to set a few things in motion – a website, a social media page, a directory listing – and then just sit back and hope for the best, fearful of changing anything that might rock the boat.
But my final point on this checklist is simply about having the courage to make sweeping and powerful changes to your online marketing strategy whenever necessary.
The digital world rarely stays still for very long, so keep on checking and reviewing the effectiveness and functionality of your online presence.
Do your competitors seem to be attracting more website traffic than you? Have your rivals got something in place that your own business is currently missing? Are your Social Media posts and updates not generating as much interaction as you would like?
Don’t be afraid to make constant tweaks and changes to your strategy, instead of getting too comfortable with an existing formula.
Inject a little bit of adventurous spirit into your brave and daring journey through the corridors of Cyberspace!
It’s really not such a frightening place to be, after all…
p
Send to Kindle
