Go Where Your Prospects Are: The Internet

Reposted Courtesy of Roger Stix:

Regardless what your annual revenue is – you are placing your company in jeopardy if you are not leveraging the internet. We’ll show you why in a second, but what I want you to truly consider right now is that the internet is no longer something we “dabble” in. It’s not a website we’ll throw up when we have the time, or a couple thousand bucks thrown at a paid search campaign we neither understand nor analyze.

However, what you don’t know about the internet can devastate your business and choosing to simply not participate will quickly become a kiss of death.

In a nutshell, the evidence shows us that what you don’t know about the internet is actually costing your business – and more than just money. Statistics show that businesses not participating in various online marketing and advertising methods are sacrificing profits yes, but also market share. There is also a massive opportunity cost here. The internet levels the playing field. But if you’re not online, you’re forgoing the easiest, most profitable way to leverage against your competition.

How many of you currently assign a marketing budget to traditional, offline marketing?

Direct Mail? Media Advertising (radio, tv, print, billboards) Yellow Pages? What else?

And how effective have these methods been this past quarter for you, perhaps compared to their performance in the past?

How many of you have found it harder lately to reach your audience through traditional methods? We’ve seen this trend with a lot of our clients and companies we’ve spoken to. It’s because the majority of your audience has moved online.

73.1% of North Americans are internet users

A recent global survey by McKinsey & Company found that 61% of companies found digital advertising vehicles, primarily paid keyword search and social media, more effective than traditional advertising and up to 74% expect to increase their spending in these online areas over the next three years.

Additionally 66% of all offline businesses plan to move the majority of their marketing online over the next three years. Right now, these companies have identified the following areas as most likely to receive an increased budget:

• Paid keyword search

• Branded sponsorship

• Video advertising

• Emerging Vehicles, including blogging, social media, virtual worlds, wikis, and widgets such as

Facebook applications

According to their research, up to 83% of customers in a variety of industries are expected to use digital tools and techniques to find new products, conduct research, compare prices, purchase, and continue a relationship with a company after purchasing.

Are we starting to see an overwhelming reality here? Do you see how much you can increase your customer base by reaching out to them online, where they’re already spending the bulk of their time, by presenting your message in the media and tools they’re already using?