Using a Website to Survive a Recession
No matter how big or small your business, having a website is critical to your long-term success and your ability to maintain and increase sales. We hear on a daily basis how bad the economy is and we are in a recession. A natural reaction to this onslaught of bad news is to pull back our expenses. While being prudent with our expenses is certainly wise, most business experts concur that now is the time to expand your marketing efforts. A website is a cost effective way to expand your presence within your market and gives many marketing options that cost next to nothing.
In this article I will provide some reasons you should have a website and some of the benefits of having a website.
Why You Should Have a Website
The web has become the “Phone Book” of the Modern Era. A large amount of research today is done online. By having your website listed on the top search engines, it can be listed under the results for any number of queries. Websites are the “Phone Book Ads” of the modern era and there is no limit to the amount of information you can publish. Many people pull up a search engine instead of getting out the phone book, in fact, many people today won’t even consider doing business with a company that does not have a website.
Customers expect it and not having one is costing you money. 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.
A website lends credibility to your small business. Consumers expect businesses to have a website and more and more consumers are turning to the internet to research a business service or product before purchasing. If you don't have a website you could be losing out to the competition. Even if you operate your business out of your home, a web site can help give your business a professional image. Also, a professional design inspires customer confidence.
Web sites are a cost effective venue for promoting your business. Many small business owners are afraid that web sites cost too much money. This is just not true - a professionally designed website can cost less than $50/ month. Considering you have the opportunity to reach millions of potential customers this is a cost effective method to reach your target market.
The Competition Has One. To stay on top of an ever-changing market, most small business owners try to keep tabs on their competitors. By doing so, they gain insight on market trends, come up with new strategies and stay up-to-date with what others offer. If your competitors have a website, it's a strong indication you should too.
What are the Benefits of a Website
Publish customer testimonials: This gives your business almost instant credibility. Having a website makes it easy to collect and publish customer’s testimonials for new and potential customers to read.
Promotional opportunities/coupons: Do you frequently add products or services in your business? How do you let your customers know about the availability of these new products and services? You could take out an expensive newspaper or radio advertisement. You could pay to print new signs and create promotional displays for your shelves. Or for a mere fraction of the cost, you could simply add a new page to your website with an eye catching banner and article explaining the benefits of the new product. You can also create a coupon online to generate interest in the new service and drive traffic into your brick and mortar store.
Websites allow businesses to update information about their products and services quickly and easily and a website is an effect way to communicate your schedules, events, promotions, and product and service support to your customers. It is easy to direct clients to your web site for frequently requested information like directions, payment terms or product support. Brochures, flyers and other print advertising can easily become outdated, but your web site can always carry your most up-to-date information.
Use your website as a tool to share information with your clients through value added services. Perhaps you own a landscape company; you can provide value added information such as bulb planting tips, or environmentally friendly ways to deal with pests. Providing value added information will keep potential customers and current customers coming back to your site leading to increased sales and word-of-mouth advertising.
Viral/Word-of-mouth marketing: Everyone knows that word-of-mouth advertising is the most effective and important part of any small business. Friends and family make purchases based on the recommendation of other friends and family. Having your own website allows people to create living links to your site along with their personal endorsement of your business. It’s the equivalent of a person handing a potential customer an order form for your products and services. Best of all, you get to control exactly what the new customers see when they click through to your site.
Stay Open 24/7 - While some small businesses are open 24 hours a day, most business hours are limited to a more traditional workday schedule. With a website, customers can view your products and services long after your normal operating hours. If you sell products online, you can even accept orders from a different part of the world while you sleep!
The best clients are repeat and referred customers. That said, there's no better way to keep customers coming back than keeping in touch with them. Through a website you can interact with clients via online newsletters, polls, chat rooms and special deals. When you keep in contact, it shows customers you care. This is one of the best ways to keep them coming back.
Email: Are you currently using a personal email address from your Internet service provider or a free email account for business contacts? Don’t underestimate the value of an email address containing your company name. You can raise the level of prestige and branding for your business with an email address that includes your company name or services. Personalized email accounts are always included with a site hosted by Lakeside Web Services. You can also set up multiple email addresses for different functions within your company, for example: sales@your-web-address.com, info@your-web-address.com, or your name@your-web-address.com and you can have them all come to the same mailbox if you desire.
Give Detailed Contact Information to Prospective Clients: A website can deliver details about your business to anyone with an Internet connection. Not only can your contact information and hours of operation be listed, you can also include a detailed map and driving directions from anywhere. This frees up time to focus on business instead of answering frequently asked questions.
Last but certainly not least you can sell products on-line expanding your geographical reach. If you’re a service provider you can give your customers an option to pay their bills online, saving you the time and cost of invoicing and your customers the time and cost of issuing and mailing a check.
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