Do I Need A Website?
Are you wondering if your business or organisation really needs a website?
We've done considerable research and have found many important reasons to have a website.
Below are some ideas about how a website can help you promote your company's image, help with sales and marketing, provide better customer service and staff management, and find more networking opportunities. If after considering these points you would like to discuss your business' place on the worldwide web, we'd be happy to assist.
Consider the following:
The Internet provides equal access to it users, whether you are a small business or a Fortune 500 firm. Everyone gets the same amount of screen space, and the most important factor is the image you project with your website. A well designed website costing a few hundred dollars can make a better impression than a poorly designed website costing thousands.
Surveys have shown that many small business and organisations do not yet have websites, so putting your business or organisation on the web puts you a step above the rest.
When compared to the costs associated with traditional advertising methods such as direct mail, newspaper or magazine ads, or radio and television, the cost of a website is nominal.
The most common problem with printed advertising materials is that they quickly become outdated, as new products and services are introduced, incurring tremendous costs in revision and reprinting. Websites offer the opportunity to provide your customers with up-to-date information when they need it, and allow you the freedom to change your products, services and information when necessary.
With a website, you can build a customer / user database to save contact and demographic information about people who visit your site. This can enable you to gain a better understanding of who your online visitors are, and create complimentary marketing strategies (direct mailings, etc.) customised to their interests. This is also a great way to keep in touch with customers who have purchased your products, leaving you the ability to send a follow-up e-mail, or occasionally sending them information about new products.
Give your customers an extra incentive to visit your store or purchase from your website, by providing them with "coupons" and information about sales directly on your site. Customers can simply print the coupons from your site, or display it on mobile devices, without incurring any printing or postage costs.
One of the greatest features of the Internet is the ability to link to other web sites, and, more importantly, have them link to yours. This allow customers to find your website through several different channels, increases the potential for traffic to your site, and essentially provides free advertising for your business or organisation.
Having a website is a great way to supplement your current advertising. By displaying your Internet address in other forms of advertising media, you let your customers know exactly where they can go to get more information about your business right away.
Make information about your business or organisation available to millions of people or just a select group through password protected areas of your web site.
Thanks to search engines, someone looking for the products, services, or information you offer can find you in a matter of seconds, no matter where they are. With a well-designed website and a few good marketing techniques, you can broaden your customer base to anyone with Internet access.
A visitor to your website can download and print anything that appears on their screen. You can take advantage of this by displaying: a map to your place of business, application forms that can be filled out which require a signature (which can then be mailed or faxed to you), product literature, assembly instructions for your products, diagnostic flowcharts, dimensional drawings, etc.
Your website is a great place to publish your own list of "Frequently Asked Questions", or even the rarely asked ones. Well thought out questions and answers, in as much detail as you like, and exactly as you'd like it stated, can provide your customers with immediate help with their question, as well as provide customer service staff with a reference tool.
Additionally, you can provide up-to-date technical information, such as user manuals, product specifications, or detailed diagrams, allowing your customers immediate access to such information, and possibly saving yourself the cost of extra technical support staff.
A website is a great way to get immediate feedback from your customers, through customer surveys, contact forms, and e-mail addresses for your contact personnel. This type of feedback can allow you to provide great customer service based on what your customers really want!
With hundreds of millions of users worldwide, the Internet is becoming more and more ubiqitous every year. As usage increases, the public will expect even small companies and organisations to have an online presence.
Setting up an e-commerce site has never been easier. Allowing your customers access to browse and buy your products online gives your sales a boost with no direct involvement from you.
