Google is Your Business's Friend: Use it!

I'm not sure if you've heard, but there's this wonderful thing called the Internet. And there's this thing on the Internet called Google. If you want any sort of information about anything, you just type it in the little Google box and press enter. Every little piece of information about just about anything is available at your fingertips, 24/7!

And even better, it's free!

Recently while driving through Virginia we spotted this particular sign for Tightsqueeze Plaza, nestled up alongside Tightsqueeze Road.

We got a few laughs out of this and then began to discuss possible origins of the name. A quick trip to this Google thing and we found several sites, including Wikipedia, that offered up a history of this very real place once known as Tightsqueeze, with a very interesting history.

On the way home from our trip we started hitting those radio stations that play nothing but Christmas music this time of year. When 'Do You Hear What I Hear?' came on, my son piped up with something he had learned about the song: it was a Cold War era song written in response to the Cuban missile crisis. Got home, Googled it, and sure enough, it was true, written the year I was born!

This Internet thing has EVERYTHING.

So why don't small businesses use it more often? I recently talked about using the Internet for the purpose of sentiment analysis, but there are plenty of ways we can use search engines and the Internet for the benefit of our business:

• Researching products
• Researching competitors
• Researching your community
• Researching your customers
• Researching prospective employees
• Getting ideas for online content/blogging
• Researching trends and ideas related to marketing and social media
• Connecting with customers and other businesses

The Internet is pretty amazing, and yet we often forget to use it for simple business tasks. Google to your heart's content. Be innovative. Do your research. There's no end to what you'll be able to find.

Obvious? Yes. But I'm surprised at how often we forget.

What are some of the more unique ways you have used the Internet for your business?