5 Reasons Every Small Business Needs a Website
Why does a typical brick and mortar, word-of-mouth small business need a website?
Many business owners ask themselves that exact question. After all, they have worked hard to please their customers and have developed an exemplary reputation. They may not even need to do a whole lot of traditional advertising or marketing since most of their new customers are referred by existing or previous clients. This speaks volumes about the quality of their work and their customer service.
I have worked for several companies that operated with a similar business model. We did excellent work and treated our clients well. As such, we did not have to do much advertising and we kept a fairly steady stream of new clients coming, and our old clients kept coming back. However, I have learned that virtually every small business has someting to gain from developing and online presence.
- Internet Search Engines are now the number one resource that consumers use to find local business information (WebVisible and Nielsen survey). That means that when someone is looking for relevant local businesses, trying to find your phone number, trying to find you address etc, they are using Internet search engines! In fact, 74% of users preferred using search engines over other methods such as traditional yellow pages, white pages, etc. In addition, 67% of those surveyed said they would rather use Internet yellow pages over the traditional printed yellow pages.
- Online Searches drive off-line word-of-mouth recommendations. You know those word-of-mouth clients who are so loyal to you? Well you will get even more of them by utilizing the internet. The survey showed that 54% of respondents referred a friend to a local business within 90 days of finding it online. Of those who recommended a business to a friend after finding it on a Google search, 59% of them verbally recommended the business, 38% of them emailed a link to their friend, and 3% wrote a favorable review on a website.
- A TON of people shop online. In fact, 72 million customers shopped online in 2007, up from 60.7 million the previous year. 11% of those customers will do 75% or more of their shopping online. So if you own a retail business or sell any kind of products, you are missing out in a huge potential customer population if you don’t have an online storefront.
- An online presence will improve the perception of your business. Customers view a business with an effective web presence favorably and assume that the business is keeping up with technology and current trends. We all know that perception is reality when it comes to marketing.
- Business websites offer an excellent cost-to-value ratio. The costs of developing and maintaining a website for your business are relatively low compared to other forms of advertising. The amount of information that can be provided online and accessed 24 hours a day is limitless and can provide a great service for your customers at a relatively low cost to you.
I think the following excerpt from the Carolina Chamber of Commerce sums it up best:
The bottom line for a local business is that their potential customers are increasingly going online to search for the same goods and services they offer, while they continue to spend their ad dollars on traditional, non-measurable, less effective media. Right now it’s a missed opportunity, with a decidedly attractive cost-benefit ratio for those willing to embrace it as a core component of their marketing strategy. And by harnessing the expertise of a professional who understands how to build an effective website and navigate their way through the constantly evolving world of search marketing, a real competitive advantage is there for the taking.
If you are interested in an effective website design and web presence, even if you are not in Shreveport or Bossier, please contact me. We can provide you with an affordable yet effective marketing tool through a customized business website.
News Article: Public Relations/Website a MUST for Business of ALL Sizes
Public Relations is a MUST for Businesses of All Sizes
Thursday, 10 April 2008
Ask most business people about their Public Relations Plan and you’ll most likely receive a look of confusion and often dismay. After all, PR is a business service reserved for large corporations with lots of cash right? Wrong! PR is something even the smallest businesses should be doing every single day.
What exactly is PR? It is any activity you do to create a favorable relationship between you and potential or existing customers. Focused on educating the public about your business, products, services, and staff, it is also the most inexpensive and effective way to get the word out to your target market that you have something they need and want. Open any newspaper or magazine, listen to any TV or radio show, and you’ll find business stories about companies large and small. Guaranteed, they are all a result of good PR.
Getting your company in the media or print requires several things; a good strategy, effective PR tools, and a commitment of time and energy. So here’s a few things to consider, and do, when pushing out your own Public Relations efforts.
1. Have a comprehensive and well-written Web site. It must be easy to navigate, contain real information versus a lot of marketing jargon. For the media, your Web site is a valuable tool in determining whether you are newsworthy or not. Skip the hype and focus on the benefits of what product or service you provide.
2. Formulate a good story pitch. A good story pitch should be about something interesting or unique about your business, you, your product, service or customer. A word of advice? Keep your email pitch to a paragraph or two. E-mail it to the appropriate publication and reporter and ask them if you have a story they would be interested in. If you don’t get a hit, try rewriting it with a little different slant
3. Send out press releases on a regular basis. Like your story pitch, press releases should be interesting enough to peak a reporters attention. They should also follow appropriate formatting guidelines and incorporate answers to the traditional what, why, where, when and how? Be sure to Include all contact information, especially a cell phone number. If a reporter can’t reach you quickly, the odds are good they’ve already moved on to someone else.
Read the rest of the article at EastSideBusinessJournal.com
Entrepeneur.com: Internet Myths Debunked
Entrepeneur.com has a great article relating to small businesses and their need for websites:
11 different myths about the internet–misunderstandings that are “unfortunately perpetuated by the natural tendencies of small business owners,” says Kitch. “They’re cautious and conservative; they’re afraid of technology and change.”
In an effort to educate entrepreneurs, Kitch debunks these 11 myths:
1. This internet thing is going to be a revolution. “Dude, the revolution already happened,” says Kitch, pointing to the more than 150 million Americans who use the internet every day. “Anybody who thinks they can worry about the internet later is completely wrong.”
2. I don’t need a website. “You’re missing a chance to be open 24/7, essentially for free,” explains Kitch. “Why would you not do that?”
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6. My website is only for new customers. “That’s like saying repeat business doesn’t matter,” says Kitch. “Your website may or may not be the reason people come to you, but it’s definitely the reason people come back to you.”
7. My site is just for customers. What about employees, partners or suppliers? Says Kitch, “The ability to interact with these people over the web or from home gives you a huge amount of power and flexibility as you’re growing your business.”
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