The document discusses the importance of small businesses having an online presence. It notes that over 1.6 billion people use the internet worldwide and internet usage is growing exponentially. Having a website allows businesses to promote themselves to a wider audience, offer customer support, and sell products online. The internet provides opportunities for easier business launches, lower costs, and a more level playing field for smaller companies. An online presence is crucial for businesses to stay competitive, gain new customers, and retain existing customers in today's digital world.

1. SMALL BUSINESS AND IT The Importance And Impact Of An Online Presence

2. Overview Internet Statistics Trends E-Business Benefits E-Marketing

3. Online Presence Setting up a website for your business for any of the following reasons: Promoting the company to a wider audience Offering support/advice Selling products and/or services through E-commerce

4. Internet Statistics According to the Internet World Stats there are 1,668,870,408 Internet users worldwide! 362% growth millions of people

5. Internet Statistics There are over 250 million internet users in North America 73.9% of population 133% growth over the last 10 years People are “plugged in” so e-commerce is a real opportunity

6. Internet Statistics Number of websites in the world: 226 million! Include the number of web pages and the list goes into the billions exponential growth!

7. Internet – Trends What do these users do on the internet? Source: Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study of Society (SIQSS) Internet Survey Study

8. Internet – Trends The Internet is the number ONE information search utility today +88% +111% +26%

9. Internet – Trends In addition to consumers, the internet is the most important source of information for investors and financial advisors 65% and 68% of investors and financial advisors, respectively, consider the internet to be their primary source of information for investing 47% of investors spend over 20 hours/week on the internet 39% of financial advisors spend over 20 hours/week on the internet Source: Forbes.com online survey

10. Internet – Trends In 2008, 7% of total retail sales in the U.S. were online sales Overall online sales expected to increase by 200% between 2008 and 2012 Three main reasons consumers shop online today: Convenience Choice Value Source: Nielson Wire

11. A No-Brainer! It is clear that the virtual world is a huge part of peoples lives and it will only become bigger in the future An online presence is imperative!

12. E-Business Easier to launch Barriers tend to be less than traditional brick-and-mortar business The Internet is a more level playing field Smaller companies don’t need to spend a fortune on advertising to get exposure Consumers have more control online – good for smaller brands Faster, broader marketplace for all brands Globally available, 24/7 marketing tool

13. E-Business Benefits

14. E-Business Benefits

15. E-Business Benefits Increased Sales Expand the geographic presence of a company Effective way of reaching new and existing customers

16. E-Business Benefits

17. E-Business Benefits Customer Retention 24/7 service Convenient outlet for customer contact and support Exchange files or specs Communicate information about updates, new products, other news Check status of jobs via the Internet Helps increase brand loyalty

18. E-Business Benefits

19. E-Business Benefits Reduced Running Costs Reduced staffing costs Offices can be smaller Display a wider range of products online Cash flow easier – automatically link e-payments to bank account Product updates online – better than sending snail mail Save expenses on brochures, etc.

20. E-Business Benefits

21. E-Business Benefits Increase Productivity and Streamline Automation Track supply chain and work flows online Order equipment online Manage internal systems of company online

22. E-Business Benefits

23. E-Marketing Application of marketing techniques via electronic media Uses a range of technologies to help connect businesses to their customers Benefits Global reach (without spending too much) Scope (range of technologies provides different ways to reach customers) Interactivity (makes companies more dynamic and adaptive) Immediate Impact (closing the gap between providing information and eliciting a consumer reaction)

24. E-Marketing

25. E-Marketing

26. E-Marketing Search Engine Marketing Search engines drive a huge proportion of all web traffic By using the right keyword strategy, get targeted traffic

27. E-Marketing

28. E-Marketing Pay Per Click Buy sponsored adverts on Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) Pay purely on a performance basis – i.e. when the ad is clicked on Ad positioning is based on a bidding system Keyword strategy is imperative to ensure the clicks you pay for are as targeted as possible

29. E-Marketing

30. E-Marketing Search Engine Optimization Optimizing websites to achieve high rankings on search engines for certain select key phrases Don’t pay for any traffic that arrives from SERPs Continuous process of maintenance and improvement

31. E-Marketing

32. E-Marketing Online Advertising Websites, e-mail newsletters, other publications Generally paid for on a Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) basis

33. E-Marketing

34. E-Marketing Affiliate Marketing Use affiliate partner websites to display your adverts Pay on a Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) basis

35. E-Marketing

36. E-Marketing Viral Marketing Word of mouth in an electronic context People pass on and share things that provide value, especially when the cost of doing so is low Creativity is key: funny video clips, interactive flash games, competitions, images, text

37. E-Marketing

38. E-Marketing Online Reputation Management (ORM) Consumer Generated Content (CGC) Monitoring, responding, engaging Social Media – Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter Fact: if Facebook were a country, it would be the world’s 4 th largest! 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations – only 14% trust advertisements!

39. E-Marketing

40. E-Marketing Web PR Online press releases Distribute articles

41. E-Marketing

42. E-Marketing E-mail Marketing Direct Marketing via the electronic medium Highly targeted, customizable, measurable Build virtual relationships with customers helps customer retention

43. Online Presence Looking at all the facts and trends about the electronic world and consumer behavior, there is no doubt that small business owners need to have a web presence To be competitive To gain new customers To keep existing business