Not long time ago, I read an article of a well-known industry observer, where it was stated that companies that are not selling through Internet mediums by 2007 will probably become extinct. As dramatic or exaggerated, as it might feel, there might be some truth in this statement.

Consider this: Although diminishing due to bad economy, average growth of e-commerce since the report mentioned is around 25% per year. But 81% of small businesses that have an online presence during last year’s holiday season reached new customers, leading to an increase in sales and profitability according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive. That’s great for online businesses, B2C “Business to Customer”. Then there is the new strategy of O2O, “Online to Offline strategy”, which “brick and mortar” (offline) businesses who have also increased their sales through the use of a web presence.

Like anything else, creating an online presence takes deliberate action and dedication. Of course, the tools for getting your business online have never been more abundant, but choosing the best path while getting started is crucial, and following through is the ultimate key to your success. Our clients are primarily small business and we focus on two areas of online business segments, Web Design and eMarketing.

Web Design – If I had a dollar every time someone told me “You can have the fanciest website with the best graphics in the world, but it don’t mean sales”, I would be a millionaire. I can tell you there are many studies and many real success stories that tell a different story. The facts are the gap between plain vanilla and professional designed websites is huge. Conversion rates with professional versus plain vanilla are 50-75% higher. You have maybe, 30 seconds to capture your visitor’s attention. First impressions are critical. You are just a click away from oblivion. Granted, web design by itself may result in short comings. That is why we offer an additional component towards success.

eMarketing – Early in my career I was told, “if you’re not marketing, you’re not doing business”. There are many things you can do to build your foundation. But ultimately to take those efforts to the next level you need a good marketing strategy or marketing plan. When it comes to using different online marketing strategies and finding one that works; it is vital that you continue to test different online marketing strategies. This is the only way that you will ever know what works and what doesn’t. We’ve done or will do this work for you. We’ve investigated and continue to research marketing strategies and segments for our clients.

In closing, Online small business is growing and with it more opportunities and problems than maybe ever before. If you already have a small business online, be aware some problems are beginning to assert themselves and it is best to be prepared. If you’re just getting started, welcome. We’ll try to help you in any way we can through the resources we provide. Don’t be discouraged! While there may be many challenges there are many opportunities as well. Let’s get started.