If you're a local business owner, you've probably been wondering what to do about the Internet. Maybe you have already have a website, but it's taken more money out of your pocket than it's put in it.

You might be thinking you should get online, but you've heard it takes too much time and money. It's tempting to ignore the issue and hope it goes away, but there are some very good reasons to get moving - and here are 8 of them:

1. Geographic Targeting

The ability to target online users by geography has improved, and it's a lot cheaper now even in Nigeria. Local advertisers can now be sure that only local eyeballs will see their ad. The targeting capabilities and options are endless. It's also become more affordable for small businesses.

2. It's Practically Free

It's so cheap to have a website now, why wouldn't you? You can get a domain name for N2000, get a website design for you (more about this later), and you're in business for a little money. Compare that to the outrageous prices charged for yellow page ads, which can range in price from N10,000 to over N100,000 per year.

Combine this with the fact that a growing percentage of the population is turning to the web for information every day and you have a powerful marketing tool. And as I mentioned earlier, there are tools available now that will allow you to build your own website just by pointing and clicking. So you no longer have to pay a web developer hundreds or thousands of dollars to get a great looking website.


3. It's a Great Communications Tool

The Internet is the ultimate communications tool - fast and cheap. You can use it to communicate with suppliers, resellers, and of course, your customers. Some uses include:

Send discount coupons by email, reducing direct mail costs
Get customer feedback through email or feedback form on website -- it's quick and it's easy, so you're more likely to get customers to participate
Send product information or announcements
Send periodic newsletters with useful information and special offers
Put your brochure or catalog online, reducing printing costs
You can combine it with SMS marketing
For some businesses, simply putting their catalog online has saved them thousands of dollars a year in printing and mailing costs. Of course there will always be people who want printed catalogs, and not every customer will have email.

4. To Make Conections

There are lots of business people online, including people from your local community. People from the same communities have a way of finding each other online, and as always, it's not what you know, but who. Just as you might pass out your card at a local chamber meeting, you can do the same thing online with your signature file - and a lot more people will see it.

It's also a lot more time-effective than face-to-face networking. Rather than driving somewhere and sitting through another boring chicken dinner, you can get online and meet prospects and colleagues at any time of the day or night.

And you can develop a reputation very quickly online, adding to your credibility and opening even more doors for yourself - all without setting foot outside the house.

5. To Serve Your Local Customers

A website can be a worthwhile investment even if it's just an electronic version of the Yellow Pages: street address, phone number, business hours, forms of payment accepted, contact information.

Except, what happens if you move, or your area code changes, or your hours, or anything else that's printed in the Yellow Pages? You know the answer to that one.

But a website is dynamic -- information can be updated at any time, plus you're not limited to 2 or 3 lines worth of information. Plus there are so many ways to interact with your customer, which is a lot more interesting for them and potentially very valuable to you.

6. To Get Publicity

Every business needs exposure, and one of the best kinds is media attention. If your business is something new and different, send out a press release that includes your URL -- you could get written up in the local paper. Even an ordinary business can get media coverage if you can come up with the right angle - perhaps a follow-up to a previous article? A human interest story?

The media is always looking for interesting stories and if you're creative enough, maybe yours could be one of them. And what better place for the public to get more information than from your website?

Perhaps you could sponsor a local event, or do some volunteer work. Your business will get the credit, along with a mention of the website URL. The more places the public can find information about your company, the better off you'll be. In our increasingly wired society, having a website makes it easy for more people to get information about your company. And they can get it more quickly and easily online.

7. Because Your Customers are Online

Did you know that 40-48 million adults went online last year looking for local content? The average local user is college educated, makes good money, and likes shopping online. They are more likely to make purchases than non-users of local content, either online or offline.

If small business is to survive, business owners must learn to harness the power of the Internet, or risk losing their remaining market share to competitors that "get" technology. For those who choose to ignore the "elephant in the living room", hoping the Internet will go away, it's only going to get worse in the days ahead.