Launching a web presence for the right reasons.
Plenty of companies don’t need a website. In thinking about yours, you need only ask one question: Will an online presence enhance my business? Here are some points that may help you answer that question.
- A website can help promote your business
Your website is working for you all day, every day, all over the planet. And if your web designer has done his job, good search engine rankings will be pulling in traffic from places that, previously, you could have only fantasized about reaching. After all, who but the richest and biggest of companies can afford a worldwide advertising campaign? The Internet makes reaching new customers and expanding into global markets feasible. - A website can put clients at ease
Doesn’t the overly helpful, commission-eager salesperson pacing the floor drive you crazy? With a website, customers can look around privately and anonymously without fearing they’re taking up too much time or asking stupid questions. They’ll be more at ease knowing that no sales clerk is hovering, ready to pounce. The Internet gives people across the world – or right in your neighbourhood – an opportunity learn about you, your products and services, and at a pace that’s comfortable for them. When they’re ready, they can click the “buy now” button or visit your store. - A web page is a virtual showcase
Cyber real estate is more economical than your bricks-and-mortar store or business. So, a website allows you to display all of your products – nothing’s hidden away in a storeroom because of limited floor space. Your website can suggest how people may use your products and services, and it won’t be seen as a “hard” sell. Potential customers can actually learn more about your goods from your website than a salesperson could ever tell them. And how many sales representatives would you need to do the job that a website could? - Improved service to clients
I use the Internet all the time to check my favourite bookstores for stock (and price) before I head off to buy it from the bricks-and-mortar store. If one doesn’t have the book I want, then it’s a half hour walk to the other store. Searching both stores online helps me eliminate wasted travelling time and zero in on the best price. Your website can give customers information that they would otherwise have to obtain by phoning or visiting your store. How many calls a day do you get for directions or for your address? By eliminating these repetitive and simple questions, you can move on to other things, and your customers will appreciate that you made their lives a little easier. And an online presence gives your clients another way of contacting you and resolving their problems or concerns. That’s good customer service. - Do your competitors have a website?
We’re not talking about “keeping up with the Joneses” or playing “my site is better than yours.” But, if your competitors are already online, they are expanding into markets that you just can’t reach. If you wait too long, your competitors might jump too far ahead of you. It might be financially impossible for you to launch a website that could compete with theirs. - Savings in print and advertising costs
Printing brochures, newsletters, catalogues, and instruction manuals is expensive. Your website makes it possible to eliminate some of your print costs, replacing it with e-mail and website content. And how much of your printed material goes straight into the garbage? That’s a waste of your resources – and the planet’s. A website is an online brochure just waiting to be read anywhere, anytime – with no national or worldwide advertising campaigns to launch. - Enhanced marketing
The web can enhance your current marketing and advertising strategies. Imagine the size of the telephone call center supporting your national television ad campaign. You’d need hundreds, maybe thousands, of people manning the lines. With a website, open up the bandwidth and let the customers in. No busy signals, no sales representatives rushed off their feet. That sounds like better customer service. Your website can be used to qualify sales leads, collect marketing and contact information, and any number of other things. You can even establish an affiliate program, letting other websites sell your products, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves here, so let’s get that website up first. - Corporate image
Just a few years ago, a website was a status symbol that showed you were on the cutting edge – successful. Today, it’s becoming a must-have, and people almost look puzzled if you say you aren’t on the Internet. - Speed, speed, speed
We’re a fast-paced, always-connected, instant gratification world – no one wants to wait for anything and we’re all too busy. Ordering online saves me time and allows me to continue working while the products I’ve ordered are making their way to my home. - Increased alliances
A website can also help you get connected with your suppliers, related businesses, or others in your field, and this could all mean increased alliances working to get business to your door.
