The importance of the internet

I'm writing this entry based on some of my recent conversations with the Chamber about the importance of the internet.

Let me start with this: no small business should be without a website. Over 215 million Americans use the internet on a regular basis - that's more than 2/3 of the Country. Further, 163 million Americans have made purchases on the internet. Depending on the procuct, over 40-60% of Americans check the internet first to do research on the product and find nearby locations to make a purchase. Not having a website means that small business owners lose these customers. The internet is no longer the trend of the future: it is the trend of right now, and it is vital to the success of small business that they establish a website as fast as possible. Put another way, are there any Fortune 500 companies, major political campaigns or celebraties that no longer have an internet website? Of course not - not having a website means cutting yourself off to one of the most popular and well travelled methods of acquiring information.

That being said, having a website is not necessarily enough for small businesses anymore. As the internet has continued to grow and expand, so has the methods by which small businesses can reach out to customers. Blogs (like this one) are a great example - one recent estimate noted that there are over 70 million blogs on the internet now. Over 100 million Americans are members of social networking groups like Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn. These networks provide another method for individuals and small businesses to share information about themselves or their businesses/products. In this fast-paced world, businesses have to do everything they can to capture the increasingly shrinking attention of their customer. This means being active and advertising in every avenue possible. An internet website is no longer enough.

I hope to have more on this subject in the coming days.