The Internet is the word on everyone's lips. People advise you to get on the web or be left behind. But do you really need a web site?
Each business must answer that question for based on their specific circumstances, but creating a web site can potentially reduce the costs of running your business as well as increase your sales and your ability to service your customer.
According Scarborough Research, almost half (47%) of web users in the United States made purchases online last year. Another report by ActivMedia shows that it is small- and mid-sized businesses that are most likely to return a profit. Some 60% of businesses expecting revenues of between $100,000 and $1 million and 56% of businesses anticipating revenues of between $10,000 and $100,000 were profitable in 2000.
And even if you don't choose to sell your products online, the internet can bring your business benefits by reducing the costs of disseminating promotional literature and giving your current and prospective clients new avenues of communicating with you. The Internet gives you the power to disseminate timely information, to change content quickly and simply, and to connect you directly to your client. Can you make the web work for your organization?
Reduced Costs
One of the simplest benefits of setting up a web site is reducing the costs of maintaining your company literature. Rather than printing hundreds or thousands of brochures that may become stale well before they have all been distributed, your online literature is "printed" once and becomes immediately available.
Any changes that you need to make to your literature can be made quickly and becomes available immediately leaving you with no left over and useless stocks of literature. Moreover, the costs of putting up and maintaining a web site are low compared to other forms of advertising.
Increased sales
Whether you choose to create an e-commerce site or simply provide an online brochure for your business, creating an internet site can increase your sales. Your promotional literature is readily and immediately available to clients and prospective clients at all times.
And if you choose to set up an e-commerce site you are effectively setting up a 24-hour, 365-day store. Your web site will be up and open for sales even when your business is closed for the evening.
Improve communication and customer service
E-mail is in ever increasing means for customers to communicate with businesses. It can be a quick method of handling customer queries and complaints. The improvements in communication and customer service provide an opportunity to increase customer loyalty. In addition, a well-crafted web site will give your company the image of an innovator. E-mail can also be an effective method of giving your client the information they want. Let customers know of upcoming promotions. Surveys are another means of learning more about your customers. What products and services are they looking for?
How to start thinking about your web site
The following questions are key to designing a web site: ·
- What is the goal of the web site?
- Who is my audience?
- What value will the audience get from the web site?
- How am I different from other businesses on the web?
- Why would someone want to come back to my site more than once?