1. Far Cheaper and Much More Flexible Than Print Advertising - The Internet is extremely different from print advertising in that space is cheap, your advertisement is accessible for a longer period of time, the content can be changed without having to ask someone to do it for you (if you use a content management system) and you can potentially reach a wider audience.
3. Diversify Revenue Streams - A web site is not just a medium for representation of your company, it is a form of media from which everybody can acquire information. You can use this media to sell advertising space to other businesses. Create your very own directory of complimentary services, where the visitor can search for information on a business that will enhance the use of your service. i.e. a catering company featuring a directory with businesses such as event co-ordinators, electronic equipment rental companies, etc.!
Some of the goals that can be achieved by launching a website include the following:
2. Market Expansion - The Internet has allowed businesses to break through the geographical barriers and become accessible, virtually, from any country in the world by a potential customer that has Internet access. By promoting your products on a national or international level you offer your business a better chance of surviving against stronger competition and reduced profit margins.
5. Offer Convenience - It is far more convenient for a person to research a product on the Internet than it is to get in a car, drive somewhere and look for or ask someone for information on a product. The potential customer can visit your web site whenever they like in their own privacy and comfort, without the stresses and distractions that exist in the “real world”. Your web site is a self-service medium – for example, instead of having to wait in a long queue to pay your TV License, you can now do it electronically through the TV License web site!
4. 24/7 365 - No more turning customers away when its time to close shop, putting up a note saying “closed for public holiday”, or leaving an irritating message on your answering service specifying your trading hours – tell them to visit your web site for information they are looking for. This way your business is advertised in your absence and allows the customer to browse your products and services.
11. Two-way Communicative Marketing - Customers can quickly and easily give feedback on your product and / or marketing approach. Online surveys have proved to be one of the most effective and most unintrusive ways for companies to find out what their customers think or want, a normal survey takes no more than a minute and can prove invaluable to your business.
6. Add Value and Satisfaction - By offering convenience, a point of reference and that touch of individualised customer service, you ultimately add value to your offering and your customers experience a higher level of satisfaction. Your web site can add value in other ways too, by featuring tips, advice and general interest content you can “entertain” your customers. This will also help them remember you better.
7. Standardize Sales Performance - By looking at which approached / pitches have worked in the past and those which have not, you can produce the ultimate pitch and use it with your web site, so that you use it on every customer. No more training of sales people and waiting for them to get a feel for your line of trade. This also ensures that no “bad” sales pitches just to get the business ever destroy your reputation.
8. Improve credibility - A website gives you the opportunity to tell potential customers what you are about and why you deserve their trust and confidence. In fact, many people use the internet for pre-purchase research so that they can determine for themselves whether a particular supplier or brand is worthy of their patronage, and won’t take them for a ride. The Internet also allows for Viral Marketing – where your website visitors spread positive word-of-mouth about your business - your customers do your marketing!
9. Promote your “Brick ‘n’ Mortar” Presence - Getting lost trying to find a place can be frustrating for a potential customer. You can publish an interactive map on your web site, which shows directions and landmarks graphically, and the potential customer can print it out when looking for your “Brick ‘n’ Mortar” premises. Also, if you recently moved to a new location, you will have to wait for the next 'phone directory to come out before people figure out where you currently are. Because a web site is flexible – you can change the content as you like – you can change your contact details instantly and lower the risk of losing customers when moving to a new location.
10. Growth Opportunity - A web site serves as a great place to refer potential investors to, to show them what your company is about, what it has achieved and what it can achieve in future. A web site is also a great place to show off your portfolio of previous work completed, and can convince potential customers quicker to be interested in your business based on the quality of work you have delivered for other customers.
12. Affordable Market Research - You can use features on your web site such as visitor polls and your web site statistics to find out where your customers are, what your customers like more and how they feel about certain aspects of your business to determine how you can improve your product and the way you do business. Web site statistics show you how much traffic your web site receives, how the visitor got to your web site and where, geographically, the visitor is from.
For a quotation for your web site, contact us today!
