Small is beautiful - at least on the Web
Sites of Boston Tip of the Month
January 2003

"Small is beautiful. - At least on the Web. According to a recent report from the US Small Business Administration, the Internet favors small companies by allowing them to dramatically extend their businesses without a substantial outlay of time and money..."

I agree that the Internet favors small companies. This study also says that most small businesses have not recognized and capitalized on this opportunity. In fact, only 35% of small businesses have a website and only 12% sell goods on-line.

The report was sponsored by the US Small Business Administration (SBA) and entitled ''E-Biz.com: Strategies for Small Business Success''. The data shows that most of the small businesses that have websites have

• Enjoyed an increase in total sales, gained new customers,
• Attracted new types of customers and
• Improved their competitive advantage.

These are the same advantages enjoyed by larger firms.

Why don't more small businesses have websites? While a website is not right for every company, the hesitation seems to stem mainly from a lack of awareness of the benefits.

Larger firms, on the other hand, take full advantage of the Internet: 90% have a Web site and half of those sell goods and/or services on line. On-line advertising is now as widely used as TV advertising, according to a recent study by the marketing firm DoubleClick, Inc. They found that businesses expect their Web sales to increase more then any other sales channel.

The DoubleClick study claims the top three reasons that firms have websites are:
1) Building brand awareness;
2) Acquiring new leads, registrants, customers and clients; and
3) Direct sales.
According to the SBA study and my clients' experiences on the Web, many small businesses with websites enjoy these same benefits.

The time has never been better for more small businesses to participate. It is still inexpensive to build a website that creates the image of a larger firm, generates leads, and enables customers to purchase on-line with a credit card. In addition, it is still possible to promote your website through the search engines for no charge.

As Ray Boggs, vice president of small business/home office research at IDC, a market research firm, was quoted in the Boston Globe (12/15/02 Business Intelligence): ''The tools are out there for small businesses, a small business just has to put the pieces together.''

I look forward to providing you detailed information on those "tools" and how to piece them together to increase your success in the coming year.

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