Page 263 - Duct Tape Marketing

Chapter 16

Tapping the Internet’s
Marketing Power

In This Chapter

ᮣ Internet terminology
ᮣ Assessing your online opportunity
ᮣ Creating a site that works
ᮣ Making e-commerce decisions
ᮣ Driving traffic to your site

Today — with the world sending 35 billion e-mails a day, the Internet host-
ing 10 million Web sites, and e-commerce ringing up retail and travel
sales in the billions and growing steadily — it’s hard to remember that the
Internet didn’t even enter business conversation until the mid-1990s, and
back then most discussions ended with more questions than answers.

Well, here we are barely a decade later and the issue is no longer whether
small businesses should dive into the field of online marketing, but rather,
how they should plan and implement their online presence.

The issue is hot because small businesses are just beginning to tap the
Internet’s marketing power. Research shows that eight of ten small busi-
nesses have computers, and two-thirds have Internet access, yet only one-
third have Web sites. If you’re among those testing the air in cyberspace, this
chapter defines the terms, weighs the opportunities, and outlines the steps
to take to put the Internet to work for your business.