The IT and the Internet can break these obstacles for small businesses. You need to realize that most successful corporations have already moved to e-commerce involving web-based tools and marketing systems, electronic tracking systems, and on-line catalogs/ordering systems among others. These days, electronic purchasing can already connect the consumers and the vendors that effectively remove the intermediary and the cost of offline mortar and brick storefronts.

Here are some ideas that are worth considering when you are ready to expand and ready to take up backyard business strategies using the Internet and IT:

Learn to use basic IT to market your business.

The idea is not totally unheard of any more. Nevertheless, a lot of small enterprises and backyard business are still not using information technology effectively or not using it at all. Using IT can easily disseminate and gather information to connect vendors and buyers as well as suppliers, manufacturers and retailers. It can help businesses gain maximum exposure with the right tools and technologies.

Make your website functional and usable.

Many small “backyard businesses” are not really getting the benefits of having a website. This can be because they are simply using their website like a calling card – with the name of the business, an enumeration of their products or services, and some numbers and an address. A website needs to be found and has to offer relevance to the visitors to want to stay for a while and come back because they find something good in your website. There are strategies that you can adopt to make your website functional and a joy to visit for your target market.

Discover the benefits of having a functional website.

If you are wondering what a functional website is that attract buyers, suppliers and everyone that matters, here is what you need to know. A functional website gives you online visibility or exposure. Through SEO (search engine optimization) of your pages and content, your site can be found despite the presence of millions of websites out there. It can drive traffic to your site that can be converted and translated into sales and profit.

Get discovered by other bigger players.

Are you having a tough time beating big players in your niche? You are not alone; there are many other backyard businesses that are confronted by the same predicament. Having a functional website means being found by players who can be potential partners as you forge through competition and struggles. Merging with other small businesses is among the best backyard business strategies that can help you survive competition. This strategy can help you combine your strengths to cancel individual weaknesses.

Remember, there are millions of small businesses around the world that are ready to mount bigger and wider operations. This means opportunities for you and the other small players. You need to scale your backyard business strategies too if you want to be ready for these opportunities. Large corporations are ready to take you in to be plugged into their supply chains, to make you a part of their export network and add to their workforce in their expansion.