At my other blog, BusinessToInvestment, I talk a lot about the bi-modal graph. In fact today (April 24th), I have a summary of previous posts regarding this new marketing trend. If you’re in business, and you’re wondering where the business went, then you know exactly what I mean.
Business isn’t coming back. It’s moving forward.
A lot of employees are discovering that their jobs are being outsourced for a fraction of what they’ve been paid. I talked to a client of mine yesterday who was interviewing for a new position. In today’s market, the job he was hiring for should pay, at most $40,000 per year. He had interviewed a lady for it who insisted on making $80,000 because that’s what she had been paid at her last job. Sadly, it hadn’t sunk in that her old way of working, and being paid, isn’t coming back. It’s all moved forward.
You might have experienced that already. And, maybe you’ve made the decision to start a business so that YOU control how much money you make and when you make it. Or if you still have a job, you might have discovered that it’s time to start a small business as a cushion in case you don’t always have that job.
Those are the changes that this economy has made on employees. And the bi-modal graph shows how the market has shifted. Your customers haven’t left, they’ve shifted. And you’ll need to shift to if you want to get them back.
And that’s the long intro to one piece of advice I’d give to every single business owner out there. It doesn’t matter if you have a service industry, retail outlet or are a one man show – everybody needs an online presence with a website. It doesn’t have to be fancy with a forum, blog, Web 2.0 look and feel, social networking site and all the other bells & whistles of top end websites. In fact, you’re usually fine with just 4 pages: a home page, directions (so people can find you), some specials and the legal stuff.
Consider that 86% of consumers turn to the Internet FIRST when they’re looking for a vendor. Advertising in the Yellow Pages or other paper services is losing effectiveness and it’s expensive. A website will get you more exposure and, in the long run, is much much cheaper.
If you’re not online with your business yet, it’s time to get there. If you’re a consultant or a new independent contractor, you need a website too!