I’ve had many of my business associates tell me that they really do not give much importance to having an online presence for their business as they sell their products or services only on a local level. Some do not think about having a presence on the Internet as they do not have plans to sell online. Generally, this idea is fueled by the fact that the Internet is essentially seen as a tool for reaching out to a broader audience and to facilitate quick commerce decisions across the various countries in the world. While these sentiments may have been true in the past, now this is not only an absolutely wrong idea to hold onto, it is also a very short-sighted view point to have.

I think we can all agree that one of the major aims of any business is to get the maximum number of customers or clients at a minimum cost, and the Internet offers this opportunity to the business owner. Having an Internet presence can be achieved in several ways:

a) A website: Once set up, your site can be viewed by many visitors 24/7 – at their convenience – and the business does not have to pay for each unique visitor to their site, whereas you would have to spend a great deal for advertising in the local newspaper or radio station to get this kind of exposure. In addition to the high cost of the traditional forms of advertising, there are other disadvantages: Newspaper ads, for instance, appear for a finite time and circulation numbers are shrinking at a rapid rate. So if your prospective customer has missed the ad, and let’s face it, nobody ever sits down to read ads–therefore ignores them, unless of course they are already in the market of buying what you are selling–there is no way he/she can get to know about your business or promotional offer.

Even if your business enjoys a good reputation in your local community, prospective customers may want to check you out on the Internet and perhaps interact with your marketing or sales department before making up their mind about a purchase.

It does not have to cost much to build a website for your business, as there are many free web tools that can be used–even if you are not an expert programmer, or low-cost options available. The rising popularity of social networking websites are an added bonus to local business owners that have a website, as they can get a good dedicated client list by building links between their business sites and these networking websites. Linking is like embedded word of mouth. If another website links to you, it is essentially linking you to its own visitors. These bookmarking websites have active forums where residents of a community get together for a virtual meeting. Your business can derive great marketing mileage by promoting your business site in such forums. Some of the content that you as business owners catering to a local community can have on your website are special promotional offers that are valid only for the day (this will ensure that your business website gets multiple visits).

B) Get your business listed in a local search directory site, preferably one that can host a video of your business. Why is that important? Search engines love videos and so do consumers. These types of community directories in fact build a keyword optimized page for your business, so you can be found online when someone types in Hair Stylist in Fallon, NV for instance.

Whether you already have a website, plan on having a website or still don’t see a need for a website, a good way to start your advertisement campaign for 2009 is to get your business listed in online business search portals like the Video City Directories. Such a listing is a good example of a customer-centered marketing approach that will put your business in front of prospects when they are searching online for the products or services you sell—-for a lot less money you are currently spending on advertising.

This article was written by Birgit Rickert of Results Marketing and The Video City Directories, and may not be copied, reproduced or altered without prior consent.