Advertising a business does have pitfalls and can be pretty costly. Printed advertising can be very limiting because column inches are so costly. Small local businesses tend to limit their adverts if they advertise at all, and as a result they often don't get work they could do.

The internet is a great way of reaching a dispersed group of people, but a full website can cost a thousand dollars and is not a cost-effective way for businesses whose target market is other local businesses or local consumers.

Heartland aims to change all that!

We're offering businesses an affordable, cost-effective way of promoting themselves to a very local audience. They will spend their advertising dollar on the types of people they really want.

Heartland is a great community resource that attracts prime local customers. There is so much practical and useful information on offer that we know we have something for everyone. We can help businesses put their name in front of all those potential customers.

We're offering businesses a directory listing and their own web page on Heartland for just $80 a year. We know rural businesses tend to be a "jack of all trades" so a whole web page is just right for letting everyone know exactly what they do - they will have plenty of space to really sell themselves. And then we'll give them some great exposure - more customers and potentially more income.

And if a business' customers are slightly further afield they can get a directory listing in neighbouring communities for an extra $25 per community.

But there's even more. One of our unique features is that businesses will be able to change their webpage themselves, at any time. That means:

	a shop can update their product list or list their specials.
	a tradesman can keep an online diary advertising when he has some gaps in his workload.
	a visiting professional can advertise when she is next in the area.

Businesses stay in control, save money and keep attracting their target market - local customers.

Each business web page will have an Alert feature. This means that customers can sign up to be alerted by email when the web page changes. This is particularly relevant for businesses that have regular specials or stock changes.

Businesses can also make use of our Heartland noticeboards. They can:

	advertise Situations Vacant - local businesses want to employ local people. On Heartland, business owners can advertise unlimited staff vacancies at no extra charge.
	promote Events - pubs can advertise when they have a band booked, stock yards can advertise calf sales.
	post Public Notices - advertising clearing sales or auctions.
	sell machinery - businesses can advertise one-off machinery sales.
	sell property or businesses - Heartland offers a free online listing.

We know that there are a lot of people out there searching the internet for products and services they want. National research shows there are a huge number of New Zealanders using the internet and that number is growing. ACNielsen (13 April 2005) research results have found that:

"more than 80% of New Zealanders now have access to the internet, and it is growing in importance as a communications vehicle. Kiwis are increasingly going online to be entertained, and they are researching, browsing, and purchasing online."

We thought these figures were pretty high and wondered if this was just townies. So we did some research of our own.

We surveyed 100 people in rural communities, spread across the top of the South Island. From the 100 surveyed, 83% use the internet, and of those, 63% use the internet every day and 87% search websites for information.