Why Should You Have a Website?  Peoples' habits are changing, more and more they are looking for products and
services online, and this trend is increasing as the coming generation ages into the marketplace. When people
move into a new area they very likely rely on the Internet to research their new surroundings and
resources. The Internet is used to find homes, jobs, stores and recreational activities. In fact, many people have come to expect that any professionally run business will have a web site. With a well-designed site your small business becomes a real player in this new advertising world. Adding your unique ‘dotcom’ to your business cards, stationary, newspaper advertising, directory ads, and flyers will invite customers to visit you online and learn more about your products and services than any paper advertising can offer.  And you’ll save money with a web site. Instead of paying for full
page paper advertising cramming in all you can in a small space, you can have pages upon pages of full-color
advertisements that run 24 hours a day and 7 days a week! You present yourself and your services to potential
customers using many different descriptive pages, images, etc. The more they know about you and your business
the more they tend to trust you, which in turn, can make them more likely to purchase your wares or enjoy your
services. Bolstering your current Ad Campaigns by including your web address will have people turning to your site for more information. A well thought out site often contains a FAQ page virtually eliminating many time consuming phone calls answering the same type of question over and over again. With a web site you can put the answers in an easy to understand format and even answer questions they didn’t know they had!  Educating customers is rule one in customer service. The first step
of any sale is letting them know what you are selling and why they need it. In this day and age more and more
people are looking to the Internet as their information source in order to make educated purchase
decisions. Including articles of interest informing your potential clients about your services creates
incoming sales calls that are already half-closed! When they call you to discuss your services, they’ve
already been given your "pitch", they’re already interested and ready to do business, not just gathering more
data on the phone. And if there are aspects about your business that are complicated or complex you can refer
them back to the site for information you would usually spend money stuffing in an envelope and mailing
out! Referrals are also a fabulous way for a small business to get new
clients. On your web site you can add a "refer a friend" link where your visitors can send your link to a
friend who may be interested. Catching them in the ‘heat of the moment’ instead of hoping the subject comes up
in conversation will drastically increase your number of referrals! With your web site you will also get
email addresses for your business. Email links, contact forms and newsletter lists are all invitations to
interested parties to ask more questions which will give you the opportunity to talk about specials, new
products and promotions! Opt-in emailing is a great way to establish a relationship with your clients saving
time and money! A newsletter can be an expensive promotional action. With printing,
postage and time spent, the costs can add up. Opting in for your newsletter is a few key strokes and click
away for your visitors, and then you can email your newsletter to all of the people in your database.
Continuing contact with prospects leads to more paying clients! | |