3 Ways a Company Website Helps Market Your Business
In today’s information age of marketing and Web 2.0, a company’s website is the key to their entire business.
Marcus Sheridan, Author of The Sales Lion Blog Marketing Speaker
Websites have become the de facto 24/7 billboard for a company. Everyone expects you to have one these days and for the minority/women-owned small business, a website can be the most efficient and economical way to tell your company’s unique story. A well-branded website can give you a great opportunity to talk directly about your business with customers and then carry on that conversation again and again as they revisit it.
In a nutshell, it may be the best way to tell a story that will create interest, be comprehensive, develop trust, and encourage potential customers to make that critical next step—a phone call or email to say “let’s talk”. Here’s more on how a website can help.
Customers Expect Online Presence
Customers today—either consumers or businesses—want to learn more about the businesses and brands they are considering buying or hiring. A three-minute elevator pitch and handing over a business card are no longer the business world’s primary ticket to creating a memorable impression, much less a sale. If your company doesn’t have a website address on your business card, your company won’t be taken seriously.
Over 40% of small businesses in the US do not have a website. So if your company is among them and your competitor is not, where does that leave you if someone searches online for a product or service both you and your competitor provides? In essence; no website, no sale.
A Venue to Showcase Your Products and Services
The primary purpose of a website is to tell the world that your company has great products and services they need to know about and yours are the ones they need to buy. Simple right?
Yes…except there’s competition. And unfortunately, the competition for the underrepresented, underutilized minority and women business enterprise is even greater.
The job of your website is to showcase the way your company produces or provides goods and services in a manner that will resonate with your customers. As the business owner, you are expected to know what your customers value about your good or service. Therefore, your website content must assure and reinforce that the performance of your goods or services will meet or exceed customer expectations. Then, all you must do is deliver.
Cost-effective Advertising
A company website allows you to keep the lights on at your business 24/7. Digital advertising never stops. It’s available to be seen by anyone who searches for your products or services for a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising, such as broadcast, direct mail, or telemarketing.
The cost of building a website ranges from free do-it-yourself (DIY) templates to hiring a professional website designer. Your expense after the initial website build is website hosting fees that often are no more than pennies per day. The key is, once the website is made “live”, the on-going daily cost for your advertising is often still in the pennies per day range. This means designing and re-stocking materials like brochures, flyers, and even business cards are reduced or eliminated.
Cost is an obvious plus, but the other intangible advantage of marketing through a website you own over traditional marketing is the unprecedented audience reach (it is called the world wide web for a reason) and ability to receive direct responses from customers (contact forms are a beautiful thing).
Summary
As a business owner, it’s important to recognize that your website goes beyond a mere introduction and, instead, is a tool to leverage all that your company has done and will do for potential, happy customers. It is your 24/7 advertising tool that creates trust, showcases your goods and services, and allows customers to find and learn about your company in a very cost-efficient way. It should reflect your business in a manner that is accurate, provides high-quality information, and eliminates barriers to do business with you.
Convinced that your business could benefit from the powerful marketing advantage of a company website? Want to know how to get started? Coleman and Associates, Inc. can help.
Simply fill out this form and we are ready to assist you with creating the website that will put your company on your customer’s radar.
As always, I invite your comments and feedback.
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