Fast, Flat and Free: On-line Course

If you're a small business owner or entrepreneur, and you want to know how to use the Internet effectively to boost your business, this on-line course if for you.

This is not about making money on the Internet; it's about making money with the Internet. In other words, if you already have a successful business, I won't be teaching you how to replace it with an on-line version of that business. Instead, I'll show you how to use the Internet as a business tool to promote your business, strengthen customer relationships and increase productivity.

The Internet just keeps growing.

In 2008, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation (CCI) at the Queensland University of Technology released a report about Australia's use of the Internet. It included these findings:

Eight out of ten Australians use the Internet, with most having broadband connections. Three-quarters of them check their e-mail daily;
Two in five now watch less television, one in four read fewer books, and one in four read fewer newspapers. Most would go to the Internet as their source for breaking news.
The Internet is a more important source of entertainment than newspapers and magazines;
Most believe the Internet has improved their work productivity and personal creativity;
Fewer than half buy products on-line, but the vast majority do product research on-line;

But it's not just about the growth in the Internet, it's about a shift in what people are doing on-line, according to rating company Nielsen's 2009 report on Social Networking:

Social networking and blogging sites are now the fourth most popular activity;
Time spent on these sites is growing three times faster than overall Internet growth;
Audiences for these services are broadening to various age groups.

This last point is important. It's not just the teenagers and Generation Y's flocking to these sites:

The Nielsen report says the greatest growth in Facebook users is from the 35-49 age group; and even the 50-64 age group has grown faster than the under 18's;
Accenture's latest Consumer Electronics Usage Survey supports this trend: The Baby Boomers group is now growing faster in terms of taking up blogging, podcasting, social networking and other new technology.

There's good news and bad news.

The Boston Globe says:

But that's not a recent quote - I read it over 10 years ago! And in the last few years, the Internet has changed everything again. In this e-course, I'll be talking about what's changed in Internet marketing recently, and what it means for you and your business.

The good news - the really good news - for small businesses and entrepreneurs is that it's shifted in our favour. At the turn of the century, the Internet was dominated by big brands, large companies and organisations with deep pockets.

Some of those organisations are still around, but the "new Internet" favours individuals, smaller players, the personal touch, and a real sense of connection between businesses and their customers. In the last ten years, from 1999 to 2009, the list of top 15 Internet companies has changed. And the new players in the market include Google, eBay, Wikipedia, Facebook and Apple - all companies who foster community, sharing and the personal touch (Apple because of iTunes, the others for the reasons already mentioned).

All of those things are perfect for us in small business.

The bad news - the really bad news - is that if you want to succeed, you'd better do something about it. Through its world-wide reach, the rise of outsourcing, and the ease of access to information, the Internet has made business more competitive, more demanding, and potentially less profitable. If you don't do anything, you will fail. It's not just that your business will do better by changing; it will definitely do worse by not changing!

Why should you believe me?

I've been using the Internet since 1988, long before many people even knew it existed. More importantly, I've worked with over 100 small business clients in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, the U.K. and Singapore. In the time I've been using the Internet, I've seen it go through many changes. I've seen people make money from it, and I've seen them lose money from it.

As a small business consultant, I've followed the growth of the Internet from its time as an academic network to being a commercial force and now to its latest form as a community-oriented user-based communication tool. I've been using it actively during all three stages, so I know what's changed - and more importantly, what that means for you.

The changes that have taken place recently are new, but they are also turning back time. Some of the capabilities now are exactly the things that used to be available to Internet users 20 years ago. Although the profile of the average Internet user has changed and the technology has vastly improved, the principles remain the same.

Register now for the course - it's free!

The on-line course is delivered to you in ten bite-sized chunks - one a day for the next ten days.

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