Social media page, online directory, or e-commerce site?

New Delhi, December 22, 2015: Potential Tools for SMBs to Market Their Business There are about 278 million internet users in India.1 Of these, about 94 percent have a Facebook account, 67 percent have a Twitter account and 54 percent have a LinkedIn account.2 With millions of consumers getting more comfortable with social media and e-commerce storefronts, many small businesses have realized the impact of social media and are leveraging these platforms to connect with potential customers. In India, about 47% of SMBs use social media as a part of their company’s marketing mix.3 These SMB’s have used these social media channels to establish an online presence and even an e-commerce storefront, without the commitment of a full website. While these could be used by SMBs as mini-websites, of sorts, it is worth noting that using these online platforms means you need to comply with their templates and their rules. Be sure to understand how much – or little – flexibility you have and if it works for your needs. As a business that’s starting out, you need to be in control of your online identity. By registering a domain name with a credible and well-recognized extension such as .com or .net, you take ownership of your online identity. This is critical to your business for a few reasons:

1. Consistent online ‘home’ for your business

As the popularity and existence of these online platforms come and go, you may have to shift from one platform source to another. That is why it’s essential that your customers have a consistent way of locating your online home, no matter what platform it’s on.

2. Increased branding

Having a presence on someone else’s site means their branding will always overshadow yours. Having your own branded web address helps increase recall with your customers and builds your online brand.

3. Offline and online marketing efforts

An easy-to-remember, branded web address can, not only, complement your online marketing efforts but your offline efforts as well. Many businesses also register alternate versions of their web address to boost brand recognition and increase traffic, using redirects to send all the traffic to one online source.

A .com or .net website can be your online source to grow your business. Get yours today!
Corporate Comm India(CCI Newswire)