Benefits of email and the internet

There are several key issues you must consider before connecting to the internet for business, not least your goals, budget and security needs. A poor setup can limit growth or expose you to risks; the right one can open new markets, help you reach new customers, streamline operations and interactions with suppliers.

Connecting your business to the internet

Most businesses nowadays use a business internet connection over phone lines (standard or superfast fibre) or a mobile connection[10] from mobile networks.

Using the internet for business purposes

Businesses generally use the internet for:

• researching competitors and markets
• buying or selling products or services online
• tracking customer interest and feedback
• finding and engaging new customers
• promoting their brand through digital channels
• remote working and collaboration

Most modern-day businesses rely on the internet for operations, marketing and customer contact.

Do you need a website for your business?

A basic website with contact details, location, products and services, prices etc can help many businesses, but weigh your goals first. Reasons to build a website include:

• building brand awareness
• selling your products and services online
• cutting marketing costs
• improving customer support
• showcasing work or testimonials

Focus on what your customers need and use it to build loyalty and community. Find out how to set up a small business website.

If you decide to have a website, you should choose your web hosting solution carefully. Most businesses use an internet service provider (ISP) or a third-party host. 

Disadvantages of using the internet for business

Although there are many advantages of using internet in business, there are some potential pitfalls to keep in mind. For example:

• additional cyber risks and costs of going online
• digital communication may feel impersonal
• competition may copy your ideas or online success
• strict laws cover e-commerce, data and accessibility

Find out how to avoid common e-commerce pitfalls like poor mobile design or weak security.

There are many advantages to using the internet in business. It can help you to work more effectively and productively, and grow your business more quickly.

Key benefits of using the internet in business

Your business can use the internet to increase:

• profits
• visibility
• customer base
• customer support options
• opening hours (since the internet is 'on' 24 hours a day)
• cost savings
• networking opportunities
• research capabilities
• marketing options, including digital communications and automation
• workplace and business efficiency
• operational flexibility and productivity, eg remote working or outsourcing
• data storage and management capabilities, eg through the cloud
• access to a diverse range of business tools and applications

Find out more about using the internet for business.

Using the internet to manage corporate networks

Use of the internet is essential if you want to build secure corporate networks, such as:

• extranets - where your customers or suppliers can access information like stock levels, delivery times or progress reports
• virtual private networks or VPNs - where you can safely share resources and confidential information between staff or with selected outsiders (eg customers and suppliers)

Read more about the benefits of intranets and extranets and advanced computer networks such as VPNs.

Using the internet to outsource your IT

Some businesses make use of the internet to outsource different jobs or tasks. Rather than doing things in-house, you can use the labour, expertise and technology of other businesses. For example, you may outsource your:

• data storage
• e-commerce functionality
• website maintenance
• IT support
• accountancy or payroll processing

By outsourcing your IT, you can reduce capital expenditure on IT hardware, software and training, reduce maintenance costs and easily scale services as and when you need them. Read more about the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing.

The internet can open up new e-commerce opportunities for your business to buy, sell or exchange goods or services online. It is important to understand the different types of e-commerce models that exist and choose a model that fits your products, customers and goals. Each offers different ways to sell online and scale.

Seven types of e-business retail structures

The primary e-commerce models broadly cover two main categories:

• business to consumer (B2C) - selling products/services directly to consumers
• business to business (B2B) - selling goods/services to other businesses

Other models cover different types of business relationships, including:

• consumer to consumer (C2C) - where consumers pay a commission to buy and sell items
• consumer to business (C2B) - where a sole proprietor may be serving a larger business
• business to government (B2G) - for businesses whose sole clients are government
• government to business (G2B) - for government sales to private businesses
• government to citizen (G2C) - for government sales to the general public

B2C e-commerce model

A B2C model focuses on selling goods and products directly to individual customers. It typically requires one of two things:

• a website with an online shop front
• using an online marketplace

Consumers can browse your products online, decide to make a purchase and proceed to an electronic checkout where some form of payment processing will take place. This will typically be via a merchant account set up through an acquiring bank, which is capable of processing credit and debit cards, or a payment processing provider.

See more on accepting online payments.

B2B e-commerce model

A B2B model operates by providing products from one business to another, through either online auctions or e-marketplaces.

Online auctions are computerised versions of traditional auctions where buyers set the prices and bid against each other. For example, an online auction might specialise in services for buyers and sellers of chemical feedstocks, chemicals, plastics, and related products. There are two main types of online auctions:

• forward auctions - lots are sold to the highest bidder
• reverse auctions - suppliers compete on price and the lowest bid wins the business

E-marketplaces specifically for B2B usually offer discounts for large quantities of goods. These are websites where buyers and sellers trade goods and services online. Online marketplaces vary according to the size and number of companies using them and the type of commodity traded. For more information, see e-marketplaces, online auctions and exchanges.

5 most common e-commerce business models

There are many ways you can run an e-commerce business. Some are easier to set up than others. They generally fall under five categories:

• dropshipping - where you sell items on your website that someone else manufactures and ships to your customer
• wholesaling and warehousing - where you buy products in bulk and store them in a warehouse (usually for B2B market)
• white-labelling - where you have a contract that allows you to put your brand on the product as if you are the manufacturer
• manufacturing - where you're paying to have the products created for you and you fulfil the order yourself
• subscription-based - where you rely on a subscription model that delivers your products to customers at regular, scheduled intervals

Read more about planning for e-commerce.

Online promotion is essential for almost all businesses today, especially start-ups, new product launches, or those with tight marketing budgets.

Ways to promote your business online

You can promote your business online in many ways. Most are free or low-cost. Common methods include the following.

Create a website

A website lets customers find your details or buy from you 24/7. Setting up a website doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Many providers offer free (though often limited) solutions, or guided options to help you set up a small business website.

Create quality content

Content is arguably the most important thing on your website. Good content turns visitors into customers, boosts your image, increases your visibility, improves search rankings and relationships with customers, suppliers and the public. Follow best practices for content marketing.

Optimise for search

Visibility in search results is key to your online success. Search engine optimisation (SEO) improves your ranking for keywords relevant to your business, products or services, making your offering easier to find. SEO techniques are varied, but the main ones focus on website design and structure, keyword selection, quality content and links.

Use social media

Social media platforms help you share and promote content to drive traffic to your website and build interest in your business. They let you create a community around your brand, reach more people and engage directly with customers – all at low cost and with little effort. Read about  social media best practices for business.

Use email marketing

Reach out to your customers - send them newsletters, offers or updates to drive traffic to your website and build engagement. You can use free or low-cost tools to design professional emails and track opens or clicks. Find email marketing guidance to help you get started.

Use paid advertising

Pay-per-click and paid search advertising can help you promote your business, products or services by placing ads on search engines, other websites or social media networks. Options include display advertising, social media advertising, affiliate marketing, paid search and others.

You can use other digital channels such as online PR, viral and mobile marketing as part of the marketing mix to help drive traffic to your website.

Benefits of having a digital marketing plan

A digital marketing campaign can reach customers at lower cost than traditional marketing methods, such as print ads or mailshots. It also gives you trackable results, so you can measure what works and refine future campaigns. See how to develop a digital marketing plan.

Email is a powerful, low-cost communication tool that businesses use to promote goods and services, improve customer experience and work more efficiently.

Why are emails important in business?

Email supports key business tasks, including:

• internal team communication
• external contact with business partners, suppliers and stakeholders
• customer support
• marketing to customers

Importance of emails in customer service

Email can greatly improve customer service. Customers can contact you any time without waiting on hold. You can reply when convenient, freeing staff from constant phone duties.

It's important, however, to follow the right etiquette when providing customer service over email. Respond promptly, stay professional and be helpful. If applicable, set up auto-replies, receipt confirmations, support ticketing and tracking systems to help you manage your customer service.

In business, email offers a quick, easy, low-cost and documented means of communication. See other advantages and disadvantages of using email for business

How to use emails in marketing?

Email marketing sends targeted messages to customers quickly and cheaply. You can segment your marketing list and tailor your email messages based on customer preferences for better results.

Unlike other forms of marketing, emails spread easily – recipients can forward communication to their colleagues and friends for extra visibility through viral marketing.

Email marketing is effective because it is a personal, time-sensitive interaction. When creating your email campaigns, you should:

• use customer segmentation to target your campaigns
• make the 'call to action' clear and place it 'above the fold' in the email
• create both HTML and text versions to ensure cross-platform compatibility
• avoid using spam to increase deliverability
• avoid over-using, as it is likely to get deleted as irrelevant or unwanted
• evaluate your campaign's success

Find out more about email marketing.

Email is fast, cheap, and easy to use for sharing information. It helps businesses send data efficiently but comes with certain risks to manage.

Advantages of using email

Email can increase efficiency and productivity across the business. Key benefits include:

• low cost - same price regardless of distance or number of recipients
• speed - arrives in minutes (or hours at most)
• convenience - stored until read, easy to send to many people
• permanent record - track messages, replies, and timestamps

One of the main advantages of email is that you can quickly and easily attach electronic files such as text documents, photos and data sheets, and share them with multiple contacts at once. Check your internet service provider's limits on attachment size, and know that some businesses may also restrict file types or sizes for safety.

You can further increase your efficiency by setting up your email software to:

• auto-save contacts to your address book for every message you send or receive
• auto-reply to incoming emails, eg to send order confirmations or out-of-office notices

Disadvantages of using email

Despite the benefits, email can present some risks, including:

• spam
• viruses
• data storage issues
• data protection issues

Unsolicited email can easily overwhelm your email system unless you install a firewall and anti-spam software. Viruses can spread through email attachments or links, and other internet and email security issues may arise, especially if you're using the cloud or remote access. Electronic storing space can also become a problem, particularly where emails with large attachments are widely distributed. The less formal nature of email can lead to careless or damaging comments, and accidental sends may risk leaking confidential or sensitive information.

Protect your business with an email and internet acceptable use policy. Take steps to prevent business data breach and theft, and add firewalls, anti-spam software, strong password practices and staff training for layered security.

The internet and email offer business benefits, but also create security threats. Protect your systems to avoid disruption or data loss.

Common email vulnerabilities

Some of the most common email security threats are:

• malware
• spam and phishing
• social engineering
• malicious unauthorised access
• unintentional acts by authorised users

You should fully consider the possibility of malicious and fraudulent attacks by hackers, as well as the impact that viruses and denial-of-service attacks (ie attempts to disrupt your web or network services) could have on your IT systems.

Email security safeguards

Securing an email system is the responsibility of your business IT department and/or your email administrator. However, anyone who shares business information via your email network should be aware of the threats and risks involved.

Common safeguards for protecting IT systems include:

• Authentication - techniques to identify and verify anyone seeking to access an e-commerce system.
• Access control - user restrictions to ensure users only access data and services for which they have been authorised.
• Encryption - techniques to scramble data and protect information stored on a computer or transmitted over a network.
• Firewall - hardware or software security devices that filter information passing between internal and external networks. A firewall controls access to the internet by internal users and prevents outside parties from gaining access to systems and information on the internal network.
• Intrusion detection - products that monitor system and network activity in order to spot if someone is trying to gain access.
• Anti-virus software - tools to detect viruses and prevent access to infected files.
• Staff awareness - keeping staff aware of typical scams used to extract personal or sensitive information.

You should protect all of your organisation's domains, including where your organisation uses common cloud email providers, such as Google G Suite and Microsoft Office 365.

See a list of common cyber security measures and read more about cyber security for business.

Create a good security policy

An IT security policy should outline how you plan to protect your IT assets. It should emphasise:

• the measures you will take
• their importance to your business
• the responsibilities of your staff, like changing passwords regularly and never sharing them

See email and internet acceptable use policy.

An acceptable use policy is a written document that sets out rules regarding the use of company technology. It describes what employees can and can't do when using corporate computers, networks, websites or systems.

Why might you need an acceptable use policy?

Effective use of the internet and email can bring significant benefits to your business. However, unregulated use can cause serious issues, such as employees:

• wasting time surfing the internet or using social media for personal use
• sending personal emails
• clogging up the system with large attachments
• exposing your IT systems to cyber threats, eg viruses, phishing emails, etc
• sharing sensitive business information externally without authorisation
• breaching data privacy laws and regulations

A clear policy reduces these risks.

What is included in an acceptable use policy?

An acceptable use policy should include:

• a general statement regarding the safe and fair use of email and the internet
• code of conduct setting out acceptable user behaviour, eg what websites the users may visit, how they should log on to the network, etc
• details of unacceptable uses, eg violating the privacy of others, accessing or downloading offensive or indecent materials, infringing copyright, libelling or defaming other persons using the business' email system, etc
• guidelines around 'netiquette', ie using appropriate language when emailing
• consequences of breaching the policy

Your acceptable use policy should also state under what circumstances - if any - you might monitor staff email and internet use, and how you will carry out such monitoring.

The policy should be easy to read, concise and say clearly if you allow staff to use the internet and/or email for their purposes.

Download our email and internet policy checklist (DOC, 13K).

Sample acceptable use policies

You can write your acceptable use policies or customise our sample documents for your business:

• sample acceptable internet use policy
• sample acceptable email use policy

For an acceptable use policy to be efficient, you should make staff aware of it, implement monitoring systems and set boundaries for site browsing, downloading, installing of software, data leakage, etc. You should update your policies regularly to meet the changing legal requirements, technologies and threats.

Disciplinary action for breach of acceptable use policy

Serious breaches of the acceptable use policies may result in disciplinary actions - and possibly even dismissal.