Does your business need a website?

You may be thinking why on Earth do I need email marketing and why do I must have my business online, let alone have a website presence? The truth of the matter is you're not alone in your thinking. There are thousands of business owners who feel the same way you do. But let me point you to a recent study that might make you think otherwise.

Will email marketing help your business? A study conducted July 08 revealed some major shifts in the way consumers search for local businesses. According to a study conducted by TMP Directional Marketing the Yellow Pages are no longer the main way consumer search for local business information. This study, a follow-up to a previous study the year before, compared the value of online and offline advertising, such as Yellow Pages, newspaper etc., and the role they played in local searches.

For the first time ever, online search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN were the primary resources of information for local customers.

This means that more local customers are now using the internet to find local merchants and other businesses online. And here is something the study found that is even more important to your business.

The survey also found that a large number of local searches take some type of action. This may come in the form of a phone call, an in-store visit or even an email. This highlights that local searchers are in the final stages of their purchase decision and are almost ready to make a purchase.

So what can you as a business owner learn from this study?

You need to be found on the internet, plain and simple.

Think about the last time that you were looking for a company to provide you with a specific product or service. How did you find this company? Did you ask your friends, look in the local newspaper, consult a telephone or business directory or quickly jump on the internet and did a search? In my case, I invariably go for the internet first, and only if I can't find what I am looking for will I try any of the other options. This means that if there is one local business that has a website in the niche that I am looking for, that company will get my business.

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