iNet Web Blog

One of the things that constantly amazes me about the human race, is the capacity to dwell. History has shown us decades of repercussions from the masses dwelling. It’s never solved anything, and it probably never will. So why are we so comfortable revelling in it?

The recession is like an old pair of slippers. You get home from work & you talk about the latest effects of it, and like an old pair of slippers the only thing you’re left with is a foul odor. So why do it? Has the recession become a convenient scapegoat for all of life dramas? How many times have you heard someone blame it on the recession. Bad business practices and sad marketplaces seem to be old memories. Now it’s the recessions fault. But guess what! It’s going to get worse. Or so I am constantly reminded of in most conversations.

But worse from what?

Pre 9/11 I remember an economy about the same as now. Our exchange rate sucked. I remember travelling through the USA watching my nickels disappear down the sewer system with the exchange rate. I think I was getting about 66cents AUD to an American dollar. So about on par with now.

Then we had a war. War’s are pretty notorious for boosting an economy. Things improved, we had a few bucks in our wallets…. but what’s this??? Fuel is nearly $2.00 per liter??? So much for those few extra bucks!!

So here we are. The media constantly telling us how bad it is. The Government sending our economy into debt because they feel a handout will boost the economy. TV shops & travel agencies are rubbing their hands together at the thought of a boost to their income. Outsourcing is still on the increase & the employment rate has risen. But let’s not forget that fuel is cheaper!!

So where does that leave us now? Dwelling. You hear it in everyday conversation. “How’s the weather?” “Isn’t the economy getting worse!”

Be Proactive!

If you are a business…. STOP!

If you are a business you can’t afford to waste time or resources dwelling. Now is the time when you have to be proactive. Don’t think about what is, think about what can be.

Competitive Branding

It has never been so important to place value in your branding. With the popularity of the Internet also came the necessity to stand out in a crowd, because there sure is a large crowd to stand out from now. You are not just competing with your local shoe store, you are now competing with an international array of footwear online shops selling the same items as you, but are more convenient because they home deliver. Then there are the likes of eBay and other marketplaces. The eBay economy is rolling along quite fine, because users are always looking for that bargain.

So how do you compete? By playing the same game. Make yourself known…. VERY well known. You should be comfortable in your branding and wield it like a sword. Don’t hold onto those few pennies for advertising campaigns. Invest them in your online entity. Your website will be there a lot longer, and managed properly will return a better return on investment than spending the equivalent on advertising.

Enhance your Branding

If you already have a website, now you should be looking at polishing up that brand and asking yourself:

• Are you noticeable enough?
• Are users able to interact with your website?
• Is the content fresh?
• Will it be compatible with mobile devices, or any other device?
• Are you throwing your website address around everywhere?
• Are you generating new users of your products?
• Are users feeling trust in your service because they have trust in you or your products?
• The short & curly of it is….. Are you better than your competitors??

Customer Experience

Think about it….. how many times have you looked up something on the web. How many times have you been annoyed you couldn’t find something and had to resort to print media such as the yellow pages. I know I do, on a regular basis.

My time is valuable, so I want to find things fast & know if they have what I want available.

• I want to be able to order things online so it frees up time shopping around, and gives me more time with family & leisure.
• I want to help the environment by limiting the use of fossil fuels being wasted looking for products.
• I want the convenience of having it delivered to my door.
• I want to have a customer experience by being able to browse, liaise & give feedback.
• I don’t want to have to waste time or money ringing you. I want to be able to email you with any queries or requests.
• I want to be able to compare brands, suppliers, prices & reviews.
• I don’t want to store brochures for every item that interests me. I want to be able to read spec. documents online.

Is your business providing any of these services? If not, you have probably countless times already lost business off me & millions of others who utilize the Internet’s power. If you do provide any of the above services, are you offering them in a safe & secure environment? When was the last time your software was updated. How safe are my valuable details?

The Website Skeptic

“I never get any business from my website!” I hear you say

Are you sure about that???

Do you have any idea how many websites are exchanged internationally on a daily basis? If your good, they are talking about you somewhere. It may be in a chat room, a forum, on Twitter or in a blog. Users are swapping around information now like they never have before. On Twitter alone (an online broadcasting system) there are 100’s of websites shared around daily among millions of users! The only way your business or website is going to be talked about, is if it is good enough and the service is good enough to be talked about.

So that sale you just achieved, could have been from someone visiting your website 6 months ago & recommending it to someone else.

With a good website you aren’t just competing locally, you are competing on the grandest stage of them all… the WORLD WIDE WEB (WWW). If you are working your brand, the sky is the limit. If your local economy is hurting, then it stands to reason that rather than sit on your hands and sulk about it, you should be out there competing in markets that might have an available niche for you to fill.

But why would they buy from your local candy store and not from someone already branded in New York City? Simple, because your website works well, and theirs doesn’t. Your website loads quick, and their’s doesn’t. Your website is easily read, browsed and priced… and theirs isn’t. Your website might come up first in google, theirs didn’t. There could be any number of reasons why they would buy from you and not them. However, if you don’t have a website, you will never know.

The WWW gave everyone an even playing field. You just have to learn how to play the game now. It’s not hard. It requires less investment than what you would lose if you don’t.

Having a website is no longer a fad, it’s a business requirement.

When the world’s financial problems start to improve, you’ll be secure in the knowledge that your branding is strong enough to continue to compete.