Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times / Business

Online presence an advantage

Jeremy Tauri
NZME. regionals·
23 Dec, 2016 02:02 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Photo / 123RF

Photo / 123RF

If you do not have an online presence for your business, make 2017 the year you get that sorted.

A recent MYOB study showed that 46 per cent of small-to-medium businesses are now online.

There has been significant growth in this percentage over recent years, from less than a third five years ago.

But considering small businesses make up the vast majority of New Zealand firms - and Kiwis are becoming ever more dependent on their smartphones to guide them through every decision from which restaurant to choose to which shade to paint their house - there is still room for more.

Some businesses do not see the need to be online.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Maybe the bulk of their business is done locally, they have a loyal customer base and they think there's nothing wrong with their current operating model. Why change what isn't broken?

Or they are just busy and see it as something that is too much trouble and won't add value. If they aren't people who use the internet a lot themselves, they may struggle to see how a good online presence will help them.

But this ignores how quickly customer expectations are changing. Younger generations expect to be able to access information quickly online, and get answers to their questions when they want them.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

They don't want to have to wait to phone at a time that suits.

If you expect them to hang on until 9am Monday to get in touch, they'll find someone else online in the meantime.

Businesses that stand out online will quickly corner the market and have a huge advantage over the competition.

People now put more store than ever in the experiences of others and the online world is a big conduit of that.

Your reputation can be made - and broken - very quickly with a couple of social media reviews.

People will seek recommendations from friends and family online in the same way they might have previously perused the Yellow Pages.

This means a well-managed social media presence can do wonders for your business - but being slack can cost you.

On the most simple level, a website gives would-be customers your contact details in the palm of their hands, when they do a web search for your products via their smartphones.

Getting online doesn't need to be expensive or difficult.

Get some advice on how to set up a good, useful website, a social media presence and perhaps an email newsletter to keep in touch with your regulars.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This is something that you cannot afford to be left behind on.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Business

Premium
Bay of Plenty Times

Retiree fears $26k gold bar lost as ex-councillor's firm collapses

03 Dec 07:08 PM
Premium
Bay of Plenty Times

From mussel shocks to seaweed hot sauce: How this smokehouse stayed afloat

30 Nov 04:00 PM
Premium
OpinionMark Lister

Mark Lister: The upside of short-term sharemarket pain

30 Nov 03:00 PM

Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Business

Premium
Premium
Retiree fears $26k gold bar lost as ex-councillor's firm collapses
Bay of Plenty Times

Retiree fears $26k gold bar lost as ex-councillor's firm collapses

She is 'outraged' he has started two new companies with creditors still owed big money.

03 Dec 07:08 PM
Premium
Premium
From mussel shocks to seaweed hot sauce: How this smokehouse stayed afloat
Bay of Plenty Times

From mussel shocks to seaweed hot sauce: How this smokehouse stayed afloat

30 Nov 04:00 PM
Premium
Premium
Mark Lister: The upside of short-term sharemarket pain
OpinionMark Lister

Mark Lister: The upside of short-term sharemarket pain

30 Nov 03:00 PM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP