Results released from the MYOB Australia ’s small business survey indicate that small business owners are missing out on online opportunities to enhance their business.
More than half of small business owners surveyed do not have a business website. According to Tim Reed, CEO, MYOB Australia, use of the internet is high among Australians and, importantly, among consumers. Small business owners are missing valuable opportunities to use the web to promote their business and build their customer base.
The web is a critical information and communication platform, an important tool for small businesses, particularly now with the current economic turbulence. Of the small businesses that do have a website (39%), the majority (68%) do not sell their goods or services through this business website.
With the current economic climate, small business owners should be jumping at the cost-effective and scalable opportunities the web offers for their business. The web presents countless sales, marketing and promotional opportunities for small businesses. It is a chance for a small business to create a whole new online ‘face’ for their business. Business owners are hard working but a website can work even harder. The website remains open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can serve many customers at once.
Small business owners can use the internet for business advice and tools, their own website, e-commerce (selling online, placing and tracking orders), interacting with customers, managing customer relationships, e-marketing, blogs and forums. The opportunities presented by the web do not just relate to having a website, but to the plethora of information, tools and directories available online.
When it comes to personal against business internet use, small business owners are visiting websites more for personal use than for business use. When questioned on the number of websites used regularly for personal interest, the majority (61%) of small business owners surveyed reported that they regularly visit 5 or more websites.
This is more than the number of websites the small business owners reported visiting regularly for business use, with 46% of small business owners surveyed visiting between 1 and 4 websites regularly for business use. If a business owner is willing to take their business online but does not know where to start, MYOB Australia would encourage them to start with their portal. MyBRC (My Business Resource Centre) is a free service created by MYOB Australia to provide business owners with ready access to the tools and information they need to build a better business.