If I Have a Local Brick-and-Mortar Business Do I Really Need to Market on the Internet?

Call it marketing or call it simply having a presence on the Internet, the answer is a resounding Yes! You need to be easily found on the Internet by your present and future customers.

Why is this?

Let’s take your present customers first: Imagine you have a neighborhood restaurant and you have summer hours and winter hours. When do the summer (longer) hours end? Your present customers may want to know that info quickly. And this info would be posted clearly on your restaurant website.

Now suppose that snow days are slow for your business (or even the threat of snow). So you have a Twitter account and your present customers follow you on Twitter. On a snowy day you send out a couple of tweets saying “Winter Day Special: Get a free dessert with your lunch or dinner today.” And, of course, you can send this same message through email marketing to your list.

Now what about future customers? First, future customers may be following you on Twitter, for example, and want to know what items are on your menu. They can click through from your Twitter profile to your website and read all about your homemade desserts.

Or they may do a Google search for results of local restaurants that have cannelloni (a delicious Italian dessert) and your restaurant website comes up because cannelloni is featured on your site. Of course you have a link to your Twitter profile on your website, and future customers can click through to read your tweets and see what kind of person you are.

In both cases you are using the power of the Internet to provide information, create relationships and stimulate business by making it easy for people to find information about your restaurant.

Then, in the next stage of marketing on the Internet, you might even find JV (joint venture) partners with whom you can do cross-promotions. Or a restaurant critic may find your restaurant and come in, try the cannelloni, and write a glowing review of your desserts.

If you want to ensure that your restaurant (or any other local brick-and-mortar business) doesn’t lose out to competitors already on the Internet, then jump on the bandwagon and start marketing (or being present) on the web right now.

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller on Twitter) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is an Internet business consultant whose company website is http://www.MillerMosaicLLC.com. If you liked this article, you’re going to love her free report on “The Top 3 Internet Marketing Elements” – download the report now from http://www.CalltoActionWebsites.com