why your presence on the Internet is important

Establish A Presence Online
Approximately 500 million people worldwide have access to the World Wide Web and that number is growing significantly. No matter what your business is, that's an enormous market ready for you to tap. Your presence on the World Wide Web will reinforce your marketing strategy by opening up that huge market.

To Network
You've heard the old saying "it's not what you know, it's who you know" right? Think of the World Wide Web as an ongoing business conference where you are constantly meeting new business contacts. Think of it as passing out your business card to millions of potential clients and partners, saying this is what I do and if you are ever in need of my services, this is how you can reach me. You can, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Provide Information
Making business information available is one of the most important ways to serve your customers. Think of the World Wide Web as your 24 hour a day, 7 day a week information service. You can provide all your basic information: Your business hours. Your address, phone number, email address. Explain your products and services. Explain the methods of payment you accept. When a potential customer or client needs information about your products or services, they simply go to your web site. You can provide as much or as little information as you wish.

Serve Your Customers
After you make that sale, keep your customer up-to-date of the latest information they may need. By posting updated product or service information, your customers receive an immediate satisfaction. You could create mailing lists that would update your customers on a regular basis of your company's news and events. Increasing the communications between you and your clients will pay off!

Reach a Highly Desirable Demographic Market
The demographic of the WWW user is probably the highest mass-market demographic available. Usually college-educated or being college educated, making a high salary or soon to make a high salary, these are the consumers with an expendable income and would love to view your offerings.

Answer Frequently Asked questions
Whoever answers the phones in your organization can tell you, their time is usually spent answering the same questions over and over again. These are the questions that customers and potential clients want answered before they do business with you. By posting a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page on your web site you will have removed another barrier. Now your customers and clients will get most of their questions answered simply by going to your web site and your phone becomes free so you can make calls for your business.

Allow Feedback From Customers
Let's say you just started offering a new product or service and you need to gauge the interest. With a Web page, you can ask for feedback and get it instantaneously with no extra cost. An instant e-mail response can be built into Web pages and can get the answer while it's fresh in your customers' mind, without the cost and lack of response of business reply mail.

Reach the Specialized Market
Any product or service you offer can be marketed on the World Wide Web. With the soon-to-be 500 million and growing users on the Internet, even the most narrowly defined interest group will be represented in large numbers. Since the Web has several very good search programs, your interest group will be able to find you, or your competitors.

Serve Your Local Market
Sure, the World Wide Web has an audience around the globe, but don't forget your next door neighbor. Online communities are being created daily on the World Wide Web and you will see ever increasing numbers of Internet users visiting them. Local restaurants, barbershops, antique dealers, just to name a few, are the newest additions to Local Online Communities. You should be there too.