Are you fully leveraging the power of the Internet with your marketing efforts?

It's kind of amazing, but I still meet lots of small business owners who don't think the Internet is crucial for their success. "I'm just a small local business. I don't think the Internet is necessarily the right place for me to focus my marketing efforts." I'm still hearing this sentiment from many a small business owner.

Hey, I was one of those people for almost a year with my own business. And I've set my stall out as a small business marketing guy.

Listen, whether you're trying to get people's attention from half-way around the world or just half-way around the block, you need to consider the power of the Internet. More and more people are turning to the Internet before (or in lieu of ever) turning to the yellow pages. That's true even when they're looking for things in their own town.

It's a place where people go to begin gathering information to make a decision. It's the place where people prefer to start when someone has made a referral or recommendation. It's the place people would generally prefer to go after they've met you at a networking event and were interested enough to know more.

The Internet is not going away. In fact, the trends show us that it's becoming a more and more integral part of the communication media we depend on. Anybody notice how interested the cable companies, phone companies, and cell phone service companies have become in putting out products and services that work with the Internet?

Are you fully leveraging the power of the Internet with your marketing efforts yet? Do you have a web site? Email newsletter? Blog? Podcast? Vlog?

Does the mere mention of all these terms intimidate and overwhelm you? Don't let it.

You don't have to do all of these things at once. Make this the year that you begin leveraging the Internet to grow your small business.

But, the power of the Internet is something you simply can't ignore if you really want to take your business to great new heights. Make a commitment to learn more about this powerful, ever changing medium called the Internet. And then pull out your marketing plan and figure out how to make it fit into your strategy.

Kevin P. Dervin

Kevin Dervin is the founder of KPD Marketing in Kansas City and creator of the ABCD Growth Marketing System. His focus is on helping small, service-based businesses who would like to grow to the next level, but struggle with how to consistently attract more clients.

"I've found that most service providers love what they do and are very happy with the clients they have," says Kevin. "But, if they don't know how to keep going out and getting more of those clients, then they don't get to focus as much time as they like doing what they love."

Kevin helps these service businesses put in place their very own Marketing and Sales System to consistently generate high-quality leads, convert them into more clients, and increase profits.

To learn more, check out each of his web sites and see what information he's sharing. There are lots of freebies and other marketing resources that you can put to use immediately to start taking your business to the next level.