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A staggering 44% of small businesses don’t yet have a web site–with 78% of them spending 5% or less on internet advertising
Internet marketing is a business imperative because the Internet is an irrevocable and unstoppable trend. Even if you have a traditional "brick-and-mortar" business, you'll lose valuable customers without an online presence. People routinely search for goods and services with their computers in lieu of the yellow pages. If your business isn't on the Web, customers will likely choose another company with whom to do business. Although you don't need a Web site to register your site in an online directory, your marketing efforts will be much more effective if you have your own site. How relevant is internet marketing in today’s world is well understood.
The real impact of Internet advertising is huge. Is it just another emerging niche medium with some peculiar creative capabilities and constraints? Or might it transform consumer marketing in the same way that network television revolutionized consumer culture and commercial practice four or five decades ago?
We take a contrary view. We believe that Internet advertising will account for a growing proportion of overall advertising expenditure. Moreover, advertising - and marketing in general - will adopt practices first developed or deployed on the Internet. As the technology improves, the impact of Internet advertising will increase and become easier to measure, and the gap between this new precise, interactive marketing capability and conventional "fuzzy" passive media will widen. Over the next few years, advertising agencies and consumer marketers will be under pressure to change their whole approach to marketing communications.
Over the past two years, 43% of small businesses say they have increased use of search engines in their marketing efforts. In contrast, use of traditional small business advertising mediums is on the decline.
A survey in 2007 forecast says that in the U.S. it will rise from $21 billion this year to $42 billion in 2011. Although we have to be skeptical about such forecasts, is the Internet advertising to double to $42 Billion over Next few years?
There is some hope that small business owners are finally waking up to the web. It’s a good sign!
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