Why should a website be part of your marketing plan?
24-hours a day, 365 days a year your website will be open for business. If you own or run a business, organization, church or team you need a website. But it's not enough that you just have a website, you must have a professional-looking, easy to navigate site if you want to be taken seriously. Since many buyers now search for information on the web prior to making a purchase at a brick-and-mortar store, your website may be the first chance you have at making a good impression on a potential customer. If your site looks like it was designed by the kid next door, you have lost the chance for a good first impression.
Educate
Potential customers want to know what you can do for them. Besides giving them information about you such as location and hours, a website can provide resources to educate them on the benefits of your product or why they need your services.
24/7 Access
Having a website can help broaden your business's marketplace. Customers shop and compare prices, products and services now more than ever before and the internet delivers a powerful, quick and efficient way to do so. If your competition is online, you should be there also. Your customers can go online 24 hours a day , seven days a week to get answers and information about your business, even if your business is closed for the day.
Increase Brand Image
Your customers want to know the company they are buying from is legitimate and runs a reputable business. A well designed website lends legitimacy to your business and leads to increased sales.
Interact with Customers
Your best customers are repeat and referred customers. There is no better way to keep customers coming back than keeping in touch with them. Through your website you can interact with clients by way of online newsletters, polls or surveys, and special deals. When you keep in contact it shows customers you care, one of the best ways to keep them coming back.
Survey Your Viewers
Your website can offer two-way, interactive, and quick communication. When a visitor comes to your website they want to know about your products, services or information. By setting up a survey you can learn exactly who your potential customers are, where they came from and they are interested in.
Level the Playing Field
In today’s global marketplace, it is difficult for the “little guy” to compete with the “big boys”. Having an online presence will enable you to compete with much larger and more marketed companies. A well designed website allows you to promote your goods and services to the same audience as the largest competitor.
Customers Expect It
Most importantly, in today's business world, the internet is the fastest growing source for information. Without a web presence, your business risks never being found by prospective customers, or seeming outdated by your current ones.
A website can be inexpensive and provide an easy and effective internet presence to tell your customers:
We are professional and friendly
We specialize in what you need
We want your business
Your website should be custom built around your specific needs. It should be unique and have a look and feel that sets it apart from others. The advantages a website has over other forms of marketing are:
Lower cost than print, radio or tv ads (annual costs can be as low as $144/yr!)
More space for more information than print, radio or tv ads
Includes numerous color photos, product info and directions at no extra cost
Enables better customer relations and 2-way communication
Provides a modern professional image of your company
But it's not enough that you just have a website. Your website reflects you and your business. It must be professional-looking and easy to use. Since many customers research businesses and products on the internet before making a purchase at a brick-and-mortar store, your website may be the first and only chance at making a good first impression on a potential buyer.
One of the best things the internet has done is level the playing field when it comes to competing with larger, better funded competitors. With a well designed website your local operation can broaden its marketplace to a national level.
