Business Coaching

Everybody’s online these days, right?

It sure seems that way, but there are still a shocking number of businesses that aren’t taking advantage of the online world to grow.

In fact, almost 40 percent of small businesses in the United States have no online presence at all.

It’s easy to blame uncontrollable factors on failures, but a business that has no online presence and fails has no excuse. There is help for any business if they know where to look.

The economy may be bad, taxes may be high and the economy may be uncertain, but none of those factors mean anything if you aren’t taking full advantage of the opportunities around you and the internet is as powerful a marketing tool as we have ever seen.

People don’t look for the products and services they need in the Yellow Pages anymore.

In fact, many communities have done away with distributing phone books because most people search for what they want online these days and having a massive tome with everyone’s contact information was simply too expensive to produce every year.

For business owners that haven’t gone online with their message yet and then wonder why they aren’t finding enough customers, it’s time to move to the 21st century.  If a business isn’t marketing, it’s dying.

Developing your presence isn’t hard and it shouldn’t take up too much time, but it’s vital to your success.

If a small business doesn’t have an online presence, whether it’s a Facebook fan page or a dedicated, multi-page website, they are missing out on hundreds if not thousands of potential customers.

Online you can build a following of your best customers, interact with them and find easy, cost-effective ways to market your business.

An on-line presence is, arguably, the most important marketing tool available these days, so get online today and don’t lose any more business to your competition.

What they say about the Internet is true – you never know who’s reading, because the Internet is everywhere, forever (unless you delete a blog post) and unless you don’t care who you offend, watch what you say.

It’s easier said than done, especially for those who are the faces of a brand (CEOs or ambassadors of companies). There are certain topics that, if talked about, might cause more trouble than you’re looking for.

But hey – some people love controversy. If that’s you, check out the top 10 hot-button topics you should never discuss online.

The Internet just had its 40th birthday.

What do you get the international public computer network that has everything for its birthday?

The Internet turned 40 on October 29. And like most parents, the Internet’s father, professor Leonard Kleinrock, is very proud of what it has accomplished in all its 40 years.

Some things it never saw coming – Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogging – and there are some things he’s excited about accomplishing.

“The net is penetrating every aspect of our lives,” Kleinrock said to a room of about 200 people at UCLA to mark the birthday, and an equal number watching online. “The next step is to move it into the real world. The Internet will be present everywhere. I will walk into a room and it will know I am there. It will talk back to me.”

That’s quite a stretch from 1969, when Kleinrock led a team at UCLA and got one computer to “talk” to another.

Has your business evolved and accomplished almost as much as the Internet? On your company’s birthdays, what do you remember from “the good ‘ol days”?