We’re in the process of planning a trip to Florida and my husband has been researching restaurants. The other night he was sharing the results of his research and said: “I’ve found a few good ones – there were a couple of others I wanted to check out, but they don’t have a web site, so forget it.”
Interesting perspective and I’m guessing he’s not alone. In the 21st century, if you’re in business and you don’t have a web site you could really be doing yourself a disservice. What used to be an “optional” means of sharing information has become somewhat of a requirement.
Now, of course, we could be missing out. I’m sure there are some exceptional restaurants out there that simply don’t have web sites. But, they could be missing out too and I’m guessing that they will become increasingly at risk of not attracting new customers to replace those who, for various reasons, move on. Businesses need to stay relevant and they need to be present where their prospects are. Today that definitely means having an Internet presence.
And, my guess is that in the not too distant future, the same will be true of having an active social media presence. Right now, social media is still somewhat of a novelty for many businesses – especially those run by Baby Boomers, many of whom haven’t had the time or the inclination to try to “figure it out.”
But there will come a time, I’m sure, when not having a social media presence will seem to be as much of an anomaly as a restaurant not having a web site. In the business world we are always at risk of falling behind and becoming out-of-touch or irrelevant. In today’s technology-laden environment that risk is even more prevalent.
Adapt, migrate, mutate or die. I’ve always liked that quote. Regardless of the business we’re in, it pretty much sums up our options, doesn’t it?
