Georgi Roberts  |  Tuesday May 15th 2012

I was in the car the other week and a snippet of conversation on the radio really caught my attention. The announcer said, "Look it up on the Internet. The answer to everything is on the Internet – it might not be the right answer, but it’s there."

This made me think about how our actions and thought processes have changed over the last five years in terms of discovering information, and how, this is such a powerful tool in the marketing belt of anyone selling a product, service, fundraising, education,
anything.

The bloke on the radio was right. We  (the collective noun) do ask the Internet everything – often before trying to think of the answer ourselves.  In water cooler speak … who ‘voiced’ the donkey in ‘Shrek’? or who sings the theme tune for MasterChef? 
Do you ponder over it for hours and have a light bulb moment in the middle of the night? Or do you Google it?

Unless you stoically stick to your guns, these days it is becoming more and more ‘natural’ to search the internet for answers – be it for water cooler questions, or for research on which hotel to stay in on holiday or for your plumber or accountant’s phone
number (let’s face it, it’s usually faster than flicking through an address book).

This reminds me how important it is for our clients to have an online presence that reflects their products (or offering) and personality.

The arguments of “I don’t need new clients” or “All my business is word of mouth referrals”, just aren’t valid anymore as reasons to not invest online.

Customers are online all the time. They’re checking out who they currently use, and who they might use – Your competitors.
 Your competition are putting themselves at the forefront and reminding your customers why THEY are ones to choose.

So what does this mean? Here are six starter steps.

1. Make sure you are online.

1. Think strategically about your website and how you represent yourself – that template website for $99 may not be the answer to showing your point of difference.

1. Perception is 99% reality. If you’re a company who promotes themselves as tech savvy – your website should reflect this. If you’re an interior designer – your site better look good. That initial reaction when a visitor comes
   to your site is incredibly important – remember, you want them to stay on your site and keep reading.

1. Make sure that you can be found. Search engine optimisation, online advertising, email promotions with landing pages – the methods are out there.
   

1. Consider other online channels and match these up with your target markets behaviour – would you set up your sausage sizzle outside a vegan convention? I wouldn’t be spending all my time on Pinterest if my target market were
   predominantly men.

1. Monitor, review, refine. Now more than ever the digital world is changing, and people’s online actions are adapting with this. You need to be aware of these changes, or ensure your marketing agency is aware of them for you.
   

Don’t get left behind, get online.

Oh – and it’s Eddie Murphy, and Katy Perry (if you haven’t Googled already).