What can the Internet REALLY do for me? - 12 KEY BENEFITS

In my conversations with business people i've
noticed a surprising lack of understanding about
the Internet and its potential for their business.
Most know it is important for business in general
but dont really know why. Few really understand
what it can specifically do for their
organisation, "What can the Internet really do for
me?"

This article aims to answer this fundamental
question by identifying some key benefits to help
you start reaping the benefits of the internet for
your business today.

At its most basic level, the Internet provides you
with an opportunity to publish a website at a
specified www address. Anyone armed with this
address can then type it in to their computer and
access your website at anytime day or night from
any (internet enabled) computer located anywhere
around the globe. This starts to give you some
idea of the potential power and reach of the
internet.

Just stop and think about that for a
moment. Your website and anything you place on it
will be accessible around the world, anytime, by
any of the estimated 450 million internet users.
Thats some potential eh? Internet benefits for
you: it enables you to reach new customers and
markets. Plus there's the supreme convenience of
the internet's instant, anytime, anywhere built-in
characteristics.

Actually I think a website is more than a mere
storage area for your web pages, it becomes a sort
of 'focus point' to your customers, largely due to
its convenience and text/visual format. People
make purchasing decisions based on all sorts of
questions and anxieties, either real or otherwise.
A website provides a place where they can help
themselves to find out more and answer those
questions and anxieties or take any other action.
Thats an often overlooked internet benefit that
wasnt really possible previously: easy
self-service. If they cant find what they want,
they can simply send you a message from your
website and await the tailored response. Another
benefit: rapid and personal communication.

Clearly, what you put on your website and how you
present it is therefore very important. Your
website's visitors will start to build an
impression of your organisation and products based
on what they see there in the first few seconds of
their arrival. Both its content and presentation
should reflect you and everything you do well and
should therefore get the research and attention it
deserves. Thats another benefit: flexibility of
content and ability to add /update it instantly.

Too many sites remain static. If you can, try to
attract and engage visitors by keeping your site
up-to-date with fresh content. By the way, when i
say product i mean this in a very universal way,
including products, services, information and any
other item you may offer.

All you need now is some promotion to get the word
out that your website is up, running and eager to
help your new prospects. You can use the internet
to find and contact companies, newsletters,
publishers, etc. and to arrange your promotions
and advertising on any industry or topic you
choose. This of course is the internet's
speciality and a key benefit for you to use: easy
access to information on every topic imaginable.

Now, if you do your homework and promotion for
your new website well, you'll soon start to get
prospects looking around your site and viewing
your content. Ideally, they will arrive, read
exactly what they want to and buy your product
immediately. They click to purchase the product
and bingo you've made a sale. At this point you
smile with satisfaction and sit back as your bank
completes the transaction and deposits the payment
into your bank account. You havent even been
involved in the transaction. Automation and new
revenues: significant internet benefits.

Alternatively, if they havent just read what they
wanted to: do they want further information before
making a decision? Are they just not ready to buy
yet? Are they just not going to buy regardless of
what you provide? Ideally you should cater for all
these scenarios to get as many sales as possible.
This is an often overlooked internet benefit. The
opportunity to interact and in this case cater to
different needs. Ie. Want to know more? Click this
link. Then they could see some specifically
written text with more depth, etc.

However tempting it may be, when you've made the
sale dont sit back glowing in that internet glory
for too long because there's more to do. Are you
happy with one sale or would you prefer more? Of
course, given the choice you'd choose more
wouldn't you? What if you now produced a useful
regular newsletter sent by email and asked them if
they would like to receive it? You're on your way
to getting more sales from them, instead of that
one initial purchase that you may have settled for
before the internet arrived. More Internet
benefits i yell! The ability to send newsletters/
ezines quickly, easily and cheaply without
traditional stationery and postage costs. Plus its
practically guaranteed to be read by the
recipient.

Now you have the opportunity to build up a mailing
list of prospects and customers who want regular
contact from you. They want you to send them
useful information, special offers, product
announcements, etc. Whether they bought a product
from you or not initially they are starting a
relationship with you. If you do it correctly
they'll begin to trust you and your
recommendations and ultimately buy more products
further down the line.

Your existing customers may appreciate this type
of new attention too. Previously they may have
felt abandoned after their first and only purchase
and maybe you havent contacted them since. This is
an excellent way to keep existing customers happy
and loyal, which again will likely mean more sales
further down the line. Ultimately what you are
doing here is building strong relationships with
your customers. They've probably never had this
kind of attention and focus before. Yes, another
internet benefit. Do it right and you will
positively stand out from everyone else they deal
with who doesnt treat them in this attentive way.
What more could you want? What more could they
want?

I hope you've seen that if you put the thought and
effort into your website, your business can reap
the benefits of the Internet. There are more
benefits than those i've covered here too. Try to
use them all to offer something new or unique. Be
creative in your thinking and identify how they
can benefit you and your customers regardless of
your industry and business model. What can the
Internet really do for me?

Target and reach new customers and markets with
your products.

Sell your products to those new customers and
markets.

Sell more products to your existing customers and
markets.

Be open 24 hours a day/7 days a week/52 weeks per
year.

Be convenient and interactive. Customers love to
help themselves anytime, anywhere, etc.

Generate awareness and credibility in new online
world.

Build stronger relationships with your customers
than ever before.

Get regular, guaranteed reading of your offers by
customers who are already interested in them.

Use facility to tailor content and update
immediately.

Utilise rapid communication between you and your
customers.

Personalise all communications for higher impact,
eg. Hi Peter...

Good luck!