The Treacherous Debauchery of Local Business and Their Website Requirements

Local business always seems to have issues with the Internet.  How to use it? How to market with it? How to apply it to their business?  The Internet's capabilities are vast and the opportunities are enormous.  It is for this very reason, local business owners become overwhelmed.  

The unknown seems to drive people in to a dark valley of fear.  Local businesses succumb to this fear quite easily. The only defense is knowledge.  Knowledge turns fear into a productive tool.  Knowledge is the cure, simply choosing small solutions, identifiable actions and record change will eradicate fear and deliver success.  

Small actions, identifiable results and recording mechanisms is a manner in which improvement can be gained.  If the change is not positive, than back off and try another tactic or strategy.  The point is little change, record, monitor and verify results.  Upon expected outcome move forward.  Upon unexpected rethink, retry and do not stagnate.  Over time bigger productive gains occur from a series of small changes.

 

Why not think of positive benefits, opportunities, and the greater experiences that lay before us.  If you think it, well than, it could happen. That's all the power you need to start.  Thinking alone is not the answer, you have to put the thought into action.  It's all about action, yhea?  No action on the thought, no gain.

Taking parts of the Internet into your business, a little at a time is the key. 

Ok, so, where is the Treacherous Debauchery in this story?  Its simple, 95% of all local business' have "NO" web presence. Yes, they may have a website but no one knows there out there in the vast ocean of the internet. Until recently, many people have not been exposed to creating searches for their local area.  It was all of the "WORLD WIDE WEB". 

Local businesses really can not afford a true performance manager, so they are typically ignored by these professionals.  The greatest mantra is "No Money".  However, the closest type of consultation that comes calling are sales people with a specificity of their product.  I speak with local businesses every day. The most common complaint I hear is every time someone comes calling the solution is different.  The attack is never the same.  Buy my product for these reasons...  They're product does not take into account "your" business across the horizontal terrain of your customer base and processes.  It IS not the vendors responsibility to know your business. That is yours, so insure the solution (tool) being sold fits your focus.  This is important as if you adopt or reject the solution, in either case, if you are wrong your competition will know.  Know your space and you'll know the solution.

 

Here is a quick outline:

 

1. Identify your business, horizontally 
2. Set your expectations
3. Identify your clients
   • Why they are clients?
   • What type of new clients do you want? 
   • If you want new clients?
4. Insure you have a plan for client retention.  

Now, what is a new client?  Are they different?  What makes them different?  Why are they different?  Getting to know your clients, new and old is where the gold resides. 

 

Buy the solution or tool because it fits. Be it IT networks/infrastructure needs, web pages, application development or internet marketing (ie: SEO).  Maybe your solution is small, trial and error in small doses.. Solutions come from trying, failing and never stopping.  When we fail we learn, we never really succeed without failing once or twice.. Really!

 

The bottom line is technology vendors do NOT know your business better than you.  They know what they're selling, maybe, but you need to gauge this, too.  You know your business. You have type clientele "A". You would like clientele "B".  The question is how do I attract "B" whilst keeping and increasing "A".  You know, you just need to identify what tools work for you. 

This summer, IKE tore through Galveston, Texas and has left the area devastated.  Speaking to people about how they get local services to restore their homes appears to be through the "Yellow Pages"! Wow! can you imagine?  Under certain circumstances manual directory searching works, its "bona fide"!  Time will solve this issue for local businesses, sooner than later, through the advancements of the Internet.  Our hand held devices will allow us to procure local services in a flash.  It's available now, got an iPhone, just type in the service from the GPS app...  With in the next decade will see this technology in the hands of the populace as we hear the 100's of different cell phone chimes throughout our business day.  In fact, once you hear a chime 50% of the time you can tell which carrier the recipient is using.. Eh!?!

The point for local business, is you have to be on the internet, use the internet, thrive in the Internet.  Applying small changes to your marketing plan via the internet, chances are a solution is begging to be put in play.  The confusion/challenge is how long will it last.   

A simple answer, for any Internet marketing program, your running about 18 months to 2 years.  Its the "Podcast Effect".  Simply if technology doubles every 18 months, than implementation of that technology has a shelf life of about 18-24 months.  Local business is about 24 to 36 months behind.  If a local business can squeeze that time frame to 20 to 32 months there is a win of stretching a dollar!  If your advertising on the "net" its fluid, and you either drift until your swallowed or you learn how to swim to avoid hazard and go toward success.  Stepping up your game to renew every 6 months maybe a strategy that keeps new in the eye of the storm.  

Why is it the some local restaurants thrive and yet others shut down unless than 6 months.  Why can you go to your local small town trinket shop  and it still exists whilst the consignment store two doors down can't find traction?  Or has lost traction and withers away in 3 weeks to 90 days.

It's simple, no fear, small improvements of change, identifying what works and what does not work.  If it does not work, pull it and try again.  Little changes to your strategy,  with quick feedback, and the willingness to take action.  But taking action is the key.  If your a local business you better start considering the internet.

Website requirements for local business should not be so daunting..  At the very least, you should have a listing in the local internet directory that works... Don't worry Google and Yahoo will haven't his covered shortly 6 months to a year.  At the very least, you must have an on-line presence. The longer you wait to be online gives your local competition time to get seated and take charge of the unclaimed "NEW" customers.  Missing these new customers can cost you revenue, growth and the survival of your business.  Once you have a directory you have a presence.

 

Now, its much better to have a website than not.  Simply, take your brochure of your company and at the very least identify the importance of your business.

 

 

Most local businesses want customers. Period. They don't care how, they just want customers, not "CLICKS" just customers.  Don't settle for website clicks!  Seek the ones that offer the local businesses "NEW" customers in the door with smart implementations, small and manageable processes, identifiable results through reports and the customer walking through the door with coupons, comments or notifications as to why they came.  Than, engage your retention program.  Ahh, the retention program, yes, it's time to give the customer "Golden Handcuffs".  If you don't someone will.