The Other Reason Your Business Needs to Be Online

Perhaps they do not need to be online to survive in the short term

Your business exists to make money.  That’s the point.  But it isn’t the only thing your business does.  Your business would not succeed if you were not solving some problems for your customers.  And the odds are that your business goes beyond the main problem your customers are seeking to solve.  It probably meets other needs of your customers.  You provide that solution in a context.  You offer other information to help them understand the problem and the solution.  Perhaps you offer more than one solution and help them choose the best one for their situation.  And that is the other reason your business needs to be online.

According to research by the IE Domain Registry, the number of Irish SMEs without an online presence is falling, but almost one-fifth remain offline.  Of those, two-thirds say they do not need to be online.  Perhaps they have excellent word of mouth and operate without much competition.  But are they thriving?  Are they meeting their customers’ various needs?  Probably not as much as they would online.

Why Do People Check Your Website?

Think about the basic information on a website.  Contact details.  Location.  Operating hours.  Products and services the company supplies.  Why should people have to ring to check hours or see if a company provides a particular service?  That’s a nuisance to both the customer and the business.  It often means that either a phone goes unanswered or a customer in a shop is left waiting.  Neither is a desirable situation.  Putting the information online saves your customers time and effort.  It makes it easier for them to solve their main problem.

Beyond that, a website is a platform to provide your target audience with answers beyond their primary problem.  Suppose you sell pet supplies.  Your website could also go beyond just listing what you sell.  It can educate your audience about how to best care for their pets, solve common behaviour problems and keep pets safe.  That is valuable information that goes beyond the basic problem of, for example, needing a new dog lead.

Social media is a brilliant way to promote your business.  And it is also a two-way street.  It’s an equally brilliant way for potential customers to contact you.  People can send a message at any hour.  While you should respond promptly, you do not need to respond instantly.  When you get a question from one person, you can share the answer with all of your followers, saving many of them the effort of asking.

While your online presence is ultimate to increase sales, that isn’t all it does.  It’s a powerful tool for providing better customer service.  Sure, a few small businesses might not need to be online to survive.  But they could provide far better customer service and operate more efficiently if they had a website and were active on social media.

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