I don’t care who you are, but it’s a tough act to follow the Bacon Explosion. Here goes nothin’…..

More people than ever are using the internet. Why do you think that is? Faster connection speeds and wider availability of those fast connections are certainly good explanations. I submit that it’s really a change in behavior more than anything else. I read an article recently that said people now spend more time online than they do watching TV. That’s HUGE!!!!! Television has been the dominant advertising medium since the 60s and the internet as we know it has only been around since the mid 90s. Face it, the internet is how we search for information. Now that I’ve told you something you already know let’s carry it a step further.

Customers search for information about bacon, barbecue sauce and cholesterol drugs on line. Restaurants, grocery stores and drug makers know this, so they make an investment in internet marketing. According to eMarketer, online advertising spending will increase 176% from 2007 to 2013. Good business people don’t trifle with fads—they invest in the future so their companies can reap the rewards. Internet usage, and in particular internet usage for business is increasing because we now have access to information from our homes, offices, and on the go from the myriad of mobile devices we carry with us every day. It is vital for a business to have a visible presence on line. “Visible” is the operative word in the last sentence.

The Bacon Explosion guys no doubt spent a lot of time, and probably a fair amount of cash to get their BBQ sauce and dry rub to market. As my esteemed colleague mentions, they did something a little offbeat to attract attention. Their efforts were rewarded with lots of new website traffic, and hopefully lots of new business as well. Whether these guys invested time, effort or money the bottom line is they invested in driving traffic to their website. Without an investment in internet marketing, these guys are just another bunch backyard barbecue kings with no way to tell the world about their gut-bustin’, monster meat log.