Does Your Business Really
Need a Website?
Not every small business needs a website; but unless you have all the clients you can handle, a website can be a good marketing investment.
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Take Your Business to the Net
The Web can be a very effective way to globalize your business, but don't discount its effectiveness for local customers.
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Go Online to Get Your
Expenses In Line
The Web is not only a great tool for promoting and expanding your business; it can also help you save money.
Read More

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Go Online to Get Your Expenses In Line
by MSN, bCentral.com

Does the price tag of running your business leave you running to the ATM? To get costs in line, go online.

The Web is not only a great tool for promoting and expanding your business; it can also help you save money. Here are three areas where the Internet can help you reduce costs — and tips for how to go about generating the savings.

Printing and mailing costs

• Put your brochure online.
  By moving your collateral online, you can reduce the amount of money you spend on printing and mailing brochures, product sheets and other promotional materials. When someone asks for more information about your business, you simply refer the person to your Web site. In addition, because Web sites are easier and less expensive to update than print brochures, you can be sure you're keeping prospects apprised of your most up-to-date data.
  
• Communicate with customers via e-mail.
  Use e-mail instead of paper to reach customers. It will lower the amount you spend on postage, printing, office supplies, mailing lists and related services. You can send invoices and account statements via e-mail, as well as marketing messages and newsletters that might otherwise require an investment in a direct-mail campaign.

Customer service/call centers

• Post FAQs on your site.
  By using your Web site to help clients get answers to common questions about your business, you can reduce the costs associated with maintaining and staffing a customer service line.
  
• Enable online account maintenance and order tracking.
  Set up your Web site so customers can self-service their accounts to further reduce customer service costs. Let customers check order histories, track shipping information, or change account details like addresses or credit card numbers.

Travel and telecommunications

• Try Web conferencing.
  If you normally visit clients in person to demonstrate new products or close sales, consider moving some of these face-to-face meetings online with virtual conference rooms such as those offered by Microsoft NetMeeting (a feature within Windows XP), WebEx and PlaceWare. Web conferencing meetings can reduce travel costs — as well as recover the lost productivity that typically accompanies travel time.