Ever feel like the world’s moving too fast? You’re getting left behind, and left out? Don’t! Now is the time to get your business up to speed and up on the net.

Remember those enormous mobile phones that first appeared in the 80’s? How we laughed. But now they’re an essential part of every business. It’s the same with websites and online marketing. Get left behind on this and you lose out. It’s as simple as that. And, it is just as simple to get your business right up to date.

Both young and old are using social networking to communicate, and wherever there is communication there is recommendation. Online marketing can help your business get talked about, targeting the right people and creating a buzz. If you own a hair salon or pizzeria for example, why not set up a Facebook page to let your customers know what’s happening and what offers are coming up? Encourage your customers to talk about your business by creating content-rich websites that link to your pages – you could even use Twitter to get chatting, and direct people to your website and business. Connections work. Get your net working!

Let’s look at how it works. You own an insurance company. You need to get your new drink driving insurance offer talked about. You need to target your marketing to places that will trigger customers to think about buying your product. Why not talk to the local garages and bars and ask them to link to your site on their website? Healthcare providers would be another idea. Why not write a short article for their blog, talking about the dangers of injury from drunk drivers, with some statistics and a case study? If you’re a restaurant you can do something similar with your website by creating a lively blog. Why not generate great testimonials by people to submit their reviews of your place to your website, or  in return for entry into a prize drawing. A free meal for two is a great incentive for customers to get scribbling, and it creates a buzz. In financial terms the outlay for you is minimal, the publicity potential is priceless.

Here’s one more example. You own hair salon. How do you get people talking about your shop and get them coming back again and again? Why not launch an online reward scheme? Customers, potential customers, register for a loyalty card. For every five haircuts they have with you they get some money off the next time they come. You can’t lose with this sort of scheme. Minimal outlay, maximum kudos.

There’s no doubt that content-rich, up-to-date websites and a bit of imaginative online marketing can do wonders for your business, and it’s no accident that big businesses have recognized this.  Get on the web and see what they’re doing. Then copy! There’s no reason you can’t go from being a small business to a big business, but you’ll need the internet to get there. So don’t get left behind. Get with it! Get noticed!