Before you jump in, you should ask yourself, “Can a Web site improve my business?” Unless you own a monopoly service business located in a small isolated rural town, chances are that a Web site can improve your business. As the number of households with Internet and/or broadband access increases, so too does the number of consumers who either purchase goods and services online, or who perform research online to determine what to buy offline. If you don’t have a Web site, you can’t tap into this growing audience of potential customers.
Reaching a growing audience of online consumers is not the only value of having a Web site. In this article, you will learn about how a Web site affects consumer perceptions, how it can be used for advertising, to provide information, to improve customer focus, and to help you grow and manage your business.
Perception is Reality
Having a Web site does not necessarily help your business; however, not having one will definitely hurt it. Even if your products or services are not marketable on the Web, many of your potential customers will visit the Internet to search for your wares and to learn more about your business. If you don’t have a Web site, or if your site is unprofessional, your potential customers may perceive your business as small, antiquated, amateurish…you get the picture. To create a positive perception of your business, you need a professional looking Web site with relevant information about your products and services. This will help you to convey the desired message and to gain the confidence of your potential customers.
Advertising Benefits
A well-crafted Web site can be used to effectively market your business as a compliment to your traditional advertising or totally on its own. By providing your Web site address on your traditional marketing materials, you can encourage your potential customers to visit your virtual storefront where you can provide additional information about your products and services. This allows you to create a stronger brand image among consumers and helps consumers feel more “in touch” with your business.
Having a Web site also opens up new advertising channels, such as Pay-Per-Click advertising, banner ads, search engine optimization, etc. These forms of advertising often require you to have a Web site, and are an excellent means of reaching a broader audience of consumers.
In addition, if your competition already has a Web site, building one of your own can help you stay competitive. Your competition may already be winning business that you aren’t even competing for!
Providing Information
Perhaps the most beneficial aspect of a Web site is that it allows you to provide detailed information about your business to a broad base of consumers. You can use a Web site to promote your business, to convey a message about your values or principals, to provide details about your products and/or services, etc. By writing content about your industry, you can establish yourself as an expert and gain credibility and customer loyalty.
A popular feature of many Web sites is a Blog (Web Log), which is an online journal that you can use to provide information to your user community. Blogs can contain such things as announcements for up-coming events or sales, industry news and trends, new product launches, etc.
You can also use your Web site to provide articles like this one containing information relevant to your users. This also helps your search engine placement, which is an inexpensive means of advertising.
Before the Web, the only way to provide such detailed information about your business was to send out thousands of catalogs. Now, it’s much easier and cheaper to launch a Web site that can be kept current at all times, and that can reach an audience of millions.
Customer Satisfaction
People like the convenience of being able to research and compare without leaving the house, and at anytime of the day. You Web site can improve your customer satisfaction by allowing consumers to visit your store from anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. In addition, you can use your Web site to keep in touch with your customers through Blogs, eNewsletters, Discussion Forums, etc. This constant contact can keep your business on the top of your customers’ minds, and help you foster customer loyalty.
In addition to convenience and loyalty, you can use your Web site to create an online community. By providing Discussion Forums, Chat, Directories, etc., you will encourage people to return to your site often, and to spread the word about your business to their friends and family.
Growing Your Business
A Web site can be a great way for you to grow your business and to help manage the growth. Perhaps the most common way to grow a business using the Internet is to offer your products or services for sale on your Web site. This is known as an e-Commerce Web site, and it allows your customers to purchase items directly from your site. If you already have a real-world store, also known as a brick-and-mortar store, then selling your products and services from your Web site can yield a substantial increase in revenue for very little cost. This allows you to generate sales from customers nationally, or all over the world; customers no longer need to live in your neighborhood! All you need to fulfill the orders is access to shipping materials and a shipping company such as UPS, FedEx or a Post Office.
Even if your products and services can’t be sold online, of if you just don’t want to sell them online, a Web site can still be beneficial. Another way to utilize a Web site is to save money by directing customer service inquiries to a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), Contact Us form or Trouble Ticket System on your site. You can put a message on your phone system that directs your call-in customers to your Web site for further information or to request support. This can dramatically decrease the number of calls and the number of phone staff needed to support your customer service efforts. Many customers prefer this alternative for convenience, and it allows your business to be open 24x7.
If your business is in growth mode already, you can use your Web site to attract employees and investors. By providing information specific to these audiences, you can greatly improve your chances of attracting the right people needed for your business to be successful.
If your staff is large, and especially if they are geographically dispersed, a Web site can be used to communicate pertinent information or to make announcements. Using your Web site as a collaboration medium can greatly increase efficiency and decrease operating costs.
Whether your business is a small Mom & Pop shop or a large international corporation, you can benefit by having a professional looking Web site. It’s never too late to start!
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