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General Business Tips |
You're Online! (Now What?)by Ranger Kidwell-RossThe Internet is said to be the fastest moving technological advance to ever sweep across our planet. Tens of millions of people now have email, and thousands more are getting online every day. For many, including our office at American Sweeper, choosing between a telephone and email would pose no contest. With email, we're now able to transmit the same information we can by phone, as well as transmit documents, photos, and web-based reference information for others to access. Plus, email messages can be read and responded to at convenient times. Unlike a telephone call, responses may be made after information is researched, and at a convenient time when all attention can be focused on the task. Thousands of people are getting online every day.Internet access is rapidly becoming mandatory for anyone in business; if you aren't online and learning how to do business there, you may well be in real trouble when you encounter a web-connected competitor. Having email or a website doesn't necessarily mean that prospects will automatically use it to start beating a path to your door. But the web has become a smart business tool that can help you find and communicate with prospects and customers with an ease never before possible. This is becoming even more true as the online community grows. If you haven't looked into getting your own 'domain name' for your business, you should make that a priority consideration. Once online, you can list your email address, as well as your website address (if you have one), on your business cards, letterhead, brochures, etc. If you have your own domain name, i.e., 'www.yourbusiness name.com,' you can be sure your web addresses won't change at some point in the future if you switch to a different Internet Service Provider (ISP), which are the companies that provide telephone dial-up access. At just $35 per year, owning your own domain name is truly an affordable bargain! For the $20 a month it costs for dial-up access to the 'Net, most ISPs will give you free website space. However, they charge more to allow you to use a personalized domain name as your direct web address (e.g., for having your web address be called 'www.yourbizname.com' rather than having it also include the ISP's name as well, as in: 'www.theirname.net/~yourbizname'). Fortunately, for smaller companies like many sweeping contractors, there is an alternate, free way to get a direct listing. One such way is through a company found at www.godaddy.com. When you purchase your domain name from them for less than $10 per year, your direct web address may be forwarded to wherever your actual website files are stored on your ISP's computer. If your first choice in a domain name isn't available, try some variations and abbreviations. Godaddy.com is also great for finding alternate names to whatever your first (already taken) choice might be. When you purchase your domain name at Godaddy.com, you may also purchase email addresses that use your domain name for another $10/year. But, remember, merely having a website is no guarantee that a host of customers will come clambering to your 'virtual doorstep.' Because of the fierce competition to get top listings in the Internet's big-name search engines, most smaller companies don't have a chance of showing up in even one of the top 50 spots. As a result, the best way to get traffic to your site is by directly providing your web addresses to your prospects and customers. In addition to listing your domain name and a company email address on your handout materials, be sure to obtain the email addresses of all your clients and prospects. And, make sure they have your website and email addresses entered into their database, as well. You'll soon discover that email is the most efficient way there is to keep in contact with those you do business with. One advantage of email is speed: The average time for an email to arrive at its destination anywhere in the world is about 2 minutes! And, you can easily send email to multiple contacts, simultaneously, all without the cost of paper or postage. Another important advantage is that you'll have a permanent record of what information was sent, and when. Within a few years, you'll find that the only way to receive notification of bids and other important information will be via email. Today, every business owner should have, at the very least, a simple website. Why? Perhaps the best reason is that, with each passing day, it's more and more likely that your competitors will have one. An Internet website is an effective way to show credibility and increase visibility, especially in a business like sweeping where most of the work is done at night. Sending prospects to your website allows them to read in-depth information about your company, all laid out exactly the way you want it. As time goes on, you can keep building upon the site in a modular fashion. Eventually, it might include forms for sweeping quotes, customer service questionnaires, testimonials, etc. A website is a public relations and selling tool that operates 24 hours a day, and can be used to provide an increased comfort level to both existing and potential customers. The Internet is quickly changing the entire makeup of our business economy. If you're still hesitating to develop an Internet presence, don't delay any longer. Unless you become part of the online world soon, you'll suddenly find yourself unable to compete with other sweeping contractors who offer online access to their company. Ranger Kidwell-Ross has been online for about 10 years. In addition to being editor of World Sweeper (and previously the founder and editor of American Sweeper), he is the webmaster for WorldSweeper.com, as well as a number of other sweeping-related websites. If you have any questions about how to use the Internet, you may reach him via email sent to editor@worldsweeper.com. You may also call 360-724-7355 during normal business hours, Pacific time zone. This article is reprinted from American Sweeper magazine, Volume 7 Number 2, 1999. |
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