Taking the business world by storm

SURAT, June 30: Today we will talk about how the Internet can be of tremendous help in promoting business. How can I use the Internet in my ...

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SURAT, June 30: Today we will talk about how the Internet can be of tremendous help in promoting business. How can I use the Internet in my business? What business opportunities does the Internet offer? These are the most FAQs (frequently asked questions) that come up in a businessman’s mind, when he thinks of the Internet.

The are plenty of reasons why the business community should be connected to the Internet — which is indeed one of the fastest-growing segments in the communication technology and is providing a wonderful environment in promoting business.

There are also many stories of small and big businesses that have leveraged their relatively small investment in connection costs to browse through the Internet for information, keeping in contact with customers or providing online services.

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For instance, businesses that claim they listen to their customers’ needs can now do so on the Internet and companies exploring telecommuting options for their employees should definitely evaluate the Internet’s capabilities.As many organisations are linked and with more being added every day, getting connecting to the Internet is a very attractive alternative to building up a private network.

Many companies are today getting hooked on to the Net to be more accessible to their customers and to have the ability to consult with experts around the world.

On their other hand, just providing Internet services, consulting and training is a big business in itself. A growing number of Internet providers — large and small — are competing to connect businesses and schools to the Internet.

But just as there is a `Net Code of Conduct’ there is also an accepted way of doing business over the Internet.

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The basic tenet of participation is “You would give as well as receive,” but E-mailing direct-mail advertisements, in hopes of receiving more sales, is not considered “giving” by members of the Internet community.

Perhaps the most important concept in doing business on the Net is that unsolicited information must be subtle and unobtrusive. Don’t even think of mass unsolicited E-mailings to the Internet. Otherwise there could be hostile reactions and rightly so. Businesses do well when they provide information in a "passive" manner, that is by making available an archive of their information and catalogs so that people can search when they want to.

People definitely don’t appreciate being bombarded with glowing descriptions of products, but an outsider giving an objective review or recommendation is considered okay.

Marketing on the Internet must be creative, interesting and dynamic because you must make your information stand out. While a positive image of a company can spread network wide quickly, so can a negative impression.As broadcasting of advertising is restricted on almost all networks, the only way a good marketing plan will work if the Internet community has a good impression of the company.

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A business should create opportunities for interaction and the exchange of information to create a business presence on the Net and tomorrow we would be discussing just that.