Not So Obvious Business Uses of The Internet

When you look back through the relatively short history of the Internet, you may come to the conclusion that the Internet no longer offers that 'get rich quick' business model that may have led many businesses to rise and subsequently fall in the 90's. That being said, the Internet has grown to become a stellar tool to aid businesses in running successful ventures (online, offline, or both). There are a variety of Internet applications that can help your business grow, run smoothly, and get ahead in todays competitive marketplace.

Use the Internet to Help Market Your Business

The Internet is an excellent tool to aid in your marketing efforts. The average North American consumer spends an average of 14 hours online each week (Jupiter Research), many often spending more time online than watching television. Your business' website needs to obtain, retain, and provide information and services to your future, current, and past clients/customers in order to succeed in the growing online world.

In order to bring people to your website you need a site that is properly and effectively designed and optimized so that users first find your website and then stay on your website to either gain information, purchase a product/service, or develop a business-consumer relationship with you. Search Engine Optimization is an effective marketing application for any business or website.

Once you have a customer base, you can use the Internet to help retain it and maintain it. You should provide new information or specials on your website, send out an email newsletter to inform and market to your client base, or provide customer support through Internet channels (website, email, faq, help center etc.).

Providing a Destination Site For Your Clients - Portals

If you are looking to grow your website and Internet presence, a logical step is to consider building a portal. Whether it is location, industry, or topic specific, a portal is a general gateway for Internet users. Portals usually provide information avenues, communication avenues, a relative directory or search engine, and e-commerce opportunities. Basically, it is as much information and services possible, all connected to one central website. Web users are especially receptive to portals because they maintain an element of familiarity and trust while providing them with the information, products, services and communication avenues they need for their location, industry, or topic.

Streamline Your Business Processes – Internal Uses

We may first think of the Internet as being an excellent tool to gain and maintain customers but there are many applications that can help with Internal business issues. File sharing, managing customers, information publishing, communicating, document management, email, and data conferencing are all common uses of Internal business websites (Intranet). With any online internal business application, there is the advantage of real time instant access to information that can provide a competitive advantage. Whether it helps service clients quicker, or enables better time management among employees, Intranet applications are becoming more common among businesses.

From a business standpoint, our first reaction to the phrase “doing business online” usually has us thinking about selling effectively to online consumers. While this is a major part of online business, it is only one use of how the Internet can aid your business. In order to grow and be competitive in this increasingly technological marketplace, implementing some of the less obvious business uses of the Internet can help give your business the competitive edge it needs to succeed long-term.

by Michelle Collie

GetOn.com Technologies