Summary: Lack of visibility is a significant challenge faced by SMEs (small & medium enterprise). If people can't find you, they cannot purchase your product or service. The internet is a powerful medium that can help you become more visible. But as an SME, are you mindfully leveraging the power of the internet? From creating a website, advertising and selling online, to growing your online business network and tracking your growth—the possibilities are immense. GlobalLinker member and SME expert, Dhananjay Parkhe explains how the internet can make your business more visible.

No two small businesses are alike, but most of them crave to be similar to their larger counterparts, in few key aspects at least. For example, even if you own a company with a handful of great customers, you still want to be visible enough to attract newer customers, boost your odds of securing repeat business and do all you can to improve customer satisfaction. But how do you make your business more visible?

Build digital presence

Conventional wisdom says that any business without a digital presence is at a distinct disadvantage, but a simple small business search exposes a surprising gap. While the number of websites is growing, use of other digital tools and social media by SMEs is falling behind drastically. A great percentage of the total SMEs aren't using the internet to promote themselves online or engage customers and prospects. In today's digitally connected world, companies that make use of the internet to grow digitally, generally find that having their own website can deliver a significant opportunity to grow their business, especially if the site is updated regularly. Even though many small businesses (and most of their customers) are online, yet more than half of them aren't exploiting the full power of what the internet can do to build their business. 

Access a level playing field

The scope for growth that an e-commerce website provides is immense. Having an online presence levels the playing ground between small and big businesses because it is such a dynamic and inexpensive medium for advertising and customer service. And the Internet makes it possible for small and medium-sized businesses to compete with the big players.

This is because the internet gives you the power to create a dynamic website to attract and retain customers, take advantage of search engines to heighten awareness of a company in today's global marketplace, and communicate with customers around the clock or at their convenience. But what stops small businesses from stepping up to this level? For many, the barriers are cost, complexity, and inconvenience. 

Grow your online business network

Owing to their nature, small businesses typically have a tight budget and limited staff. Unlike the larger companies it competes with, a small business often can't afford to invest a large sum to buy a server, create a complicated infrastructure and hire an IT technician to keep it all running smoothly. 

The good news is that today, an online business networking platform like GlobalLinker allows you to establish a web presence without heavy-duty in-house technical resources and a big cash outlay. It's one of the quickest and easiest ways today to create your digital presence; list your products/ services, build your business network, access special deals & offers; create your business website or e-store absolutely free of cost. 

It's time that you realise the power of the internet and make your business grow by leaps and bounds. Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views, official policy or position of GlobalLinker.