November 18th, 2009
by James Belt
Just because you have a small local business doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be using the Internet to connect with your customers.
Sure, the Internet is everywhere, and your customers all live within 7 miles of your store, but so what? Communicating with them online is still the most efficient, least expensive way to stay in touch.
Traditionally, small businesses sent out postcards or flyers announcing sales and specials. The bulk rate for post cards is now over 20 cents, so if you have only 500 customers the postages alone will run you $100. Add to that the cost of printing, and you’ll soon find out that bulk mailings are not cost effective.
You can accomplish the same thing for a lot less by connecting with your customers online. An email service like Aweber starts at less than $20 per month, and you can send unlimited messages to your customers. You don’t have to worry about printing costs, and you’re not forced to fit your message onto one side of a four by six postcard.
Another great way to keep in touch with your customers is through a blog. A blog is a kind of website which you update weekly or daily - or as often as you choose - with news about your business, in store specials, manufacturer special offers, even pictures of the store mascot’s new kittens, if you like.
Unlike catalog or brochure type sites, blogs are interactive. Readers are encouraged to leave comments and ask questions, so you’re always in touch. They can be updated in just minutes, so there’s no huge time commitment, and most people find them to be a lot of fun to set up and maintain. You could make one employee the blogger for the business, or give each employee a login and allow them all to contribute.
The truth is, for less than the cost of that single mailing of postcards to 500 customers, you can set up your own website on your own domain, and give your customers a virtual storefront where they can catch up on the latest news about your business without having to leave the house or even walk to the mail box.
Websites and blogs are great if your customers already know about your site, but how can you get them to a new site? You’ll probably hear all kinds of confusing terms like SEO and pay per click and keyword optimized, but to bring local visitors to your site, all you really need to do is interact with them. Participate in local forums, comment on other local blogs, meet people on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. These activities will naturally bring customers to your site, without the technical worries of SEO and pay per click.
The Internet is not limited to giant corporations with giant checkbooks. With more than 82% of consumers turning to the web to find local businesses, it’s clear that even the smallest “mom and pop” business needs some online presence, whether it’s a blog, a Twitter acc...
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