Consider the “Big Picture” when Establishing Internet
Presence for your Small Business
What should a small business first consider about establishing Internet presence and marketing?
Small businesses wishing to establish or improve their presence on the Internet have a lot to consider. Sure they
want to have more inquiries, customers, and sales; however, budgets can be tight and investments shouldn’t be
wasted. Internet presence might include a website, email, social media, directories, advertising, and online
storefronts. Before investing in a particular service, think about the “Big Picture.” Technivise can help you answer
questions that may come to mind:
How much money and time is this going to cost me to start and each month?
What’s the return on investment now, and over time?
Lots of people and services want my money for this. Which are best? Which are of little value? Can one
service do it all?
Should I do it myself or hire help?
Do I own my Internet presence, or am I going to be held hostage?
Of course the answer to these questions will depend on the type of business you own and the amount of time and resources you have to
address the challenge. First consider these trends on the Internet might frame how to market your business:
Have you used a phone book lately? Have you seen one in years?
Things are changing and they will continue to change. In the past the yellow page book
was the resource your customers used to find your business. Yellow page phone books
are now extinct due to the Internet. Your business must be found on the Internet and
yellowpages.com isn’t the best place to look!
Mobile Phone use is growing rapidly. People will increasingly find businesses on
their smart phones.
While desktop users cannot be ignored, customers will increasingly find your business
on their smart phones. Your online presence must be available to a smart phone!
Where do your customers spend time? Many are surfing the Internet for news, entertainment, and social interaction.
If this is true about your customers, before considering advertising on television, the radio or print media like newspapers, establish
a sound Internet presence and consider social media as part of that effort!
Once your customers find you online, much is one click away.
Upon finding you, your customers can do quite a bit. A phone call is only one click away, so make sure to your phone! Information
is one click away on your website. If you have a physical storefront, navigation to your doorstep is also one click away! If those
searching want to know if you’re reputable, reviews and comments about your business may be one click away. Manage your
online reputation! Do you think about issuing coupons? They’re one click away and might even be the item for which customers
are searching.
What are the first steps to establish a Small Business Internet presence and marketing?
Given these trends and a decision to create an online presence, what should a small business owner do about Internet presence and
marketing? Technivise recommends you consider the following:
Consider working with someone in which you can develop trust. This is your livelihood, so pick wisely. If they are local, will
they visit with you in person? If they are not local, will they talk to you and work with you as
needed to develop trust?
Talk to the providers and see if they spend time with you. Large national companies and service
providers that help in this area may be useful at some point, but they are most likely feeding their own
huge infrastructure and not focused on your success. They will want as little interaction with you as
possible to fill out a form or a set of standard information that fits their service – not customized to
your business. That way they can quickly move onto their next customer. They will want your money
to focus on something small – their service, not your big-picture needs. They will want to have
recurring charges every month for things you may not need and are not even sure they perform. They
won’t be looking at making your whole business successful. This brings us to:
Think about the big picture of what you want to achieve. Don’t be rushed into taking action for just one element because of
a sales call or email.
There are many people and companies trying to sell small business a website, directory services, listing in phone directories,
branding, a logo, search engine optimization, online adverting, email marketing, etc. They will promise you the top rankings on
Google searches and many customers. They will say they have you 100 percent covered when they miss half the opportunities.
Beware. While some of these providers may do very well in their specific service, you might be wasting money on the wrong thing.
You don’t have to do everything at once. You can start small and add more as you go. Technivise can help you think about the big
picture and which steps to take first that are right for your business.
Think about where you want to spend your time. Do you have the time and knowledge to establish, improve, and maintain
your Internet presence yourself? Will you have one or more providers do it all for you? Or, will you have a mix somewhere
in-between. How should the approach change over time?
If you’re not savvy about the Internet, you will need help to establish your Internet presence and marketing. You, your family, or
your staff may want to be involved with parts of improving and maintaining your Internet presence including adding new content
periodically and tending to social media. Why? Because you might do somethings better and you can save money. How will your
provider deal with this? If you have time and inclination, will your service provide training so you can take over the helm of your
internet presence? Technivise is flexible enough to address all these issues and pick an approach best for you and your business.
Decide who should own your Internet Presence. Can you be held hostage?
Be careful that you actually own and can access everything you purchase regarding your
Internet Presence. Some providers will not give you all the information, files, and access
associated with your online identity. Some directory services will require large monthly
maintenance payments forever, and if you stop using their service, they can remove your
established online identity. Do they protect your online identity with different
passwords and secure techniques? Insist that you own your online identity and can
access every part of it whenever you want. You may not need to access your online
identity regularly or at all; however, you should have the ability to do so at any time you
wish. You should own the accounts or be able to obtain them at any time including a
listing of all accounts, usernames, and passwords to specific resources. Technivise
insists that our customers securely own their online presence and identity. If you own your online presence, you can choose to
manage the accounts yourself or move to another provider at any time. Technivise does not hold you hostage!
These are important high-level considerations for establishing Internet presence for a small businesses. Of course there are many technical
steps associated with this process; however, taking time to think about the big picture of your Internet presence is the first step. While
you’re at it, also think about how to use the Internet for your business operations. Contact Technivise to discuss your big-picture Internet
and online presence needs for marketing and operations!
Consider the “Big Picture” when
Establishing Internet Presence for
your Small Business
What should a small business first consider about establishing Internet presence and
marketing?
Small businesses wishing to establish or improve their presence on
the Internet have a lot to consider. Sure they want to have more
inquiries, customers, and sales; however, budgets can be tight and
investments shouldn’t be wasted. Internet presence might include a
website, email, social media, directories, advertising, and online
storefronts. Before investing in a particular service, think about the
“Big Picture.” Technivise can help you answer questions that may
come to mind:
How much money and time is this going to cost me to start and each month?
What’s the return on investment now, and over time?
Lots of people and services want my money for this. Which are best? Which are of
little value? Can one service do it all?
Should I do it myself or hire help?
Do I own my Internet presence, or am I going to be held hostage?
Of course the answer to these questions will depend on the type of business you own and the
amount of time and resources you have to address the challenge. First consider these trends
on the Internet might frame how to market your business:
Have you used a phone book lately?
Have you seen one in years?
Things are changing and they will
continue to change. In the past the
yellow page book was the resource your
customers used to find your business.
Yellow page phone books are now
extinct due to the Internet. Your
business must be found on the Internet
and yellowpages.com isn’t the best
place to look!
Mobile Phone use is growing rapidly. People will increasingly find businesses on
their smart phones.
While desktop users cannot be ignored, customers will increasingly find your
business on their smart phones. Your online presence must be available to a smart
phone!
Where do your customers spend time? Many are surfing the Internet for news,
entertainment, and social interaction.
If this is true about your customers, before considering advertising on television, the
radio or print media like newspapers, establish a sound Internet presence and
consider social media as part of that effort!
Once your customers find you online, much is one click away.
Upon finding you, your customers can do quite a bit. A phone call is only one click
away, so make sure to your phone! Information is one click away on your website. If
you have a physical storefront, navigation to your doorstep is also one click away! If
those searching want to know if you’re reputable, reviews and comments about your
business may be one click away. Manage your online reputation! Do you think about
issuing coupons? They’re one click away and might even be the item for which
customers are searching.
What are the first steps to establish a Small Business Internet presence and marketing?
Given these trends and a decision to create an online presence, what should a small business
owner do about Internet presence and marketing? Technivise recommends you consider
the following:
Consider working with someone in which you can develop trust. This is your
livelihood, so pick wisely. If they are local, will they
visit with you in person? If they are not local, will
they talk to you and work with you as needed to
develop trust?
Talk to the providers and see if they spend time with
you. Large national companies and service providers
that help in this area may be useful at some point, but
they are most likely feeding their own huge
infrastructure and not focused on your success. They
will want as little interaction with you as possible to fill
out a form or a set of standard information that fits their service – not customized to
your business. That way they can quickly move onto their next customer. They will
want your money to focus on something small – their service, not your big-picture
needs. They will want to have recurring charges every month for things you may not
need and are not even sure they perform. They won’t be looking at making your
whole business successful. This brings us to:
Think about the big picture of what you want to achieve. Don’t be rushed into
taking action for just one element because of a sales call or email.
There are many people and companies trying to sell small business a website,
directory services, listing in phone directories, branding, a logo, search engine
optimization, online adverting, email marketing, etc. They will promise you the top
rankings on Google searches and many customers. They will say they have you 100
percent covered when they miss half the opportunities. Beware. While some of these
providers may do very well in their specific service, you might be wasting money on
the wrong thing. You don’t have to do everything at once. You can start small and
add more as you go. Technivise can help you think about the big picture and which
steps to take first that are right for your business.
Think about where you want to spend your time. Do you have the time and
knowledge to establish, improve, and maintain your Internet presence yourself?
Will you have one or more providers do it all for you? Or, will you have a mix
somewhere in-between. How should the approach change over time?
If you’re not savvy about the Internet, you will need help to establish your Internet
presence and marketing. You, your family, or your staff may want to be involved with
parts of improving and maintaining your Internet presence including adding new
content periodically and tending to social media. Why? Because you might do
somethings better and you can save money. How will your provider deal with this? If
you have time and inclination, will your service provide training so you can take over
the helm of your internet presence? Technivise is flexible enough to address all these
issues and pick an approach best for you and your business.
Decide who should own your Internet Presence. Can you be held hostage?
Be careful that you actually own and can
access everything you purchase regarding
your Internet Presence. Some providers
will not give you all the information, files,
and access associated with your online
identity. Some directory services will
require large monthly maintenance
payments forever, and if you stop using
their service, they can remove your
established online identity. Do they
protect your online identity with different passwords and secure techniques? Insist
that you own your online identity and can access every part of it whenever you want.
You may not need to access your online identity regularly or at all; however, you
should have the ability to do so at any time you wish. You should own the accounts or
be able to obtain them at any time including a listing of all accounts, usernames, and
passwords to specific resources. Technivise insists that our customers securely own
their online presence and identity. If you own your online presence, you can choose
to manage the accounts yourself or move to another provider at any time. Technivise
does not hold you hostage!
These are important high-level considerations for establishing Internet presence for a small
businesses. Of course there are many technical steps associated with this process; however,
taking time to think about the big picture of your Internet presence is the first step. While
you’re at it, also think about how to use the Internet for your business operations. Contact
Technivise to discuss your big-picture Internet and online presence needs for marketing and
operations!
Consider the “Big Picture”
when Establishing Internet
Presence for your Small
Business
What should a small business first consider
about establishing Internet presence and
marketing?
Small businesses wishing to establish or
improve their presence on the Internet have
a lot to consider. Sure they want to have
more inquiries, customers, and sales;
however, budgets can be tight and
investments shouldn’t be wasted. Internet
presence might include a website, email,
social media, directories, advertising, and
online storefronts. Before investing in a
particular service, think about the “Big Picture.” Technivise can help
you answer questions that may come to mind:
How much money and time is this going to cost me to start and
each month?
What’s the return on investment now, and over time?
Lots of people and services want my money for this. Which are
best? Which are of little value? Can one service do it all?
Should I do it myself or hire help?
Do I own my Internet presence, or am I going to be held
hostage?
Of course the answer to these questions will depend on the type of
business you own and the amount of time and resources you have to
address the challenge. First consider these trends on the Internet
might frame how to market your business:
Have you used a
phone book
lately? Have
you seen one in
years?
Things are
changing and
they will
continue to
change. In the
past the yellow
page book was the resource your customers used to find your
business. Yellow page phone books are now extinct due to the
Internet. Your business must be found on the Internet and
yellowpages.com isn’t the best place to look!
Mobile Phone use is growing rapidly. People will
increasingly find businesses on their smart phones.
While desktop users cannot be ignored, customers will
increasingly find your business on their smart phones. Your
online presence must be available to a smart phone!
Where do your customers spend time? Many are surfing
the Internet for news, entertainment, and social
interaction.
If this is true about your customers, before considering
advertising on television, the radio or print media like
newspapers, establish a sound Internet presence and consider
social media as part of that effort!
Once your customers find you online, much is one click
away.
Upon finding you, your customers can do quite a bit. A phone
call is only one click away, so make sure to your phone!
Information is one click away on your website. If you have a
physical storefront, navigation to your doorstep is also one
click away! If those searching want to know if you’re
reputable, reviews and comments about your business may be
one click away. Manage your online reputation! Do you think
about issuing coupons? They’re one click away and might even
be the item for which customers are searching.
What are the first steps to establish a Small
Business Internet presence and marketing?
Given these trends and a decision to create an online presence, what
should a small business owner do about Internet presence and
marketing? Technivise recommends you consider the following:
Consider working with someone in which you can develop
trust. This is your livelihood, so
pick wisely. If they are local,
will they visit with you in
person? If they are not local,
will they talk to you and work
with you as needed to develop
trust?
Talk to the providers and see if
they spend time with you. Large
national companies and service
providers that help in this area may be useful at some point,
but they are most likely feeding their own huge infrastructure
and not focused on your success. They will want as little
interaction with you as possible to fill out a form or a set of
standard information that fits their service – not customized to
your business. That way they can quickly move onto their next
customer. They will want your money to focus on something
small – their service, not your big-picture needs. They will
want to have recurring charges every month for things you
may not need and are not even sure they perform. They won’t
be looking at making your whole business successful. This
brings us to:
Think about the big picture of what you want to achieve.
Don’t be rushed into taking action for just one element
because of a sales call or email.
There are many people and companies trying to sell small
business a website, directory services, listing in phone
directories, branding, a logo, search engine optimization, online
adverting, email marketing, etc. They will promise you the top
rankings on Google searches and many customers. They will
say they have you 100 percent covered when they miss half the
opportunities. Beware. While some of these providers may do
very well in their specific service, you might be wasting money
on the wrong thing. You don’t have to do everything at once.
You can start small and add more as you go. Technivise can
help you think about the big picture and which steps to take
first that are right for your business.
Think about where you want to spend your time. Do you
have the time and knowledge to establish, improve, and
maintain your Internet presence yourself? Will you have
one or more providers do it all for you? Or, will you have a
mix somewhere in-between. How should the approach
change over time?
If you’re not savvy about the Internet, you will need help to
establish your Internet presence and marketing. You, your
family, or your staff may want to be involved with parts of
improving and maintaining your Internet presence including
adding new content periodically and tending to social media.
Why? Because you might do somethings better and you can
save money. How will your provider deal with this? If you
have time and inclination, will your service provide training so
you can take over the helm of your internet presence?
Technivise is flexible enough to address all these issues and
pick an approach best for you and your business.
Decide who should own your Internet Presence. Can you be
held hostage?
Be careful that you
actually own and can
access everything
you purchase
regarding your
Internet Presence.
Some providers will
not give you all the
information, files,
and access associated with your online identity. Some directory
services will require large monthly maintenance payments
forever, and if you stop using their service, they can remove
your established online identity. Do they protect your online
identity with different passwords and secure techniques?
Insist that you own your online identity and can access every
part of it whenever you want. You may not need to access your
online identity regularly or at all; however, you should have
the ability to do so at any time you wish. You should own the
accounts or be able to obtain them at any time including a
listing of all accounts, usernames, and passwords to specific
resources. Technivise insists that our customers securely own
their online presence and identity. If you own your online
presence, you can choose to manage the accounts yourself or
move to another provider at any time. Technivise does not
hold you hostage!
These are important high-level considerations for establishing Internet
presence for a small businesses. Of course there are many technical
steps associated with this process; however, taking time to think about
the big picture of your Internet presence is the first step. While you’re
at it, also think about how to use the Internet for your business
operations. Contact Technivise to discuss your big-picture Internet and
online presence needs for marketing and operations!
