For those that don't know me, my name is Marla Bradley and I own North Country Website Design.
I would like to talk to you about the benefits of having a business website.
Can you believe that just about ten years ago most people had not even heard of the Internet? In just a little over a decade it has grown from a very simple way to send email to a sophisticated communication medium. Today everyone is at least aware of the Internet and the majority of you use it on a daily basis.
Even more amazing is the growth in website services and huge drop in cost of those services. In the late 90’s it was not unusual for a company to spend tens of thousands of dollars to build an e-commerce site. Today, any business, small or large, can have an internet catalog or e-commerce website for under $2000. Informational sites can run as low as $200!
Websites create a national or international presence for a business, and that presence can create a dramatic increase in sales performance. Unlike a traditional brick and mortar store, a website is open 24/7 in all time zones (even when its owner sleeps). A website with a shopping cart service can take orders all day and night. Of course, a business owner still needs to fulfill orders in a timely manner, using the same quality customer service provided to customers who walk into a store.
A website allows ample room to talk about the unique qualities of a business, not limited to the confines of a small print ad (or large yearly advertising budget). A small ad in the yellow pages can direct attention to a website, providing potential customers with far more information. Following the initial expense of designing a website, yearly maintenance costs can be kept low. A business that sells one-of-a-kind items should probably stay away from an e-commerce strategy and create a website designed to draw more customers into the store or office.
Increased Market Size: Any business website presence broadens the market reach for your business. Local retailers can market/sell products across the country or the world.
Reduced Information Distribution Costs: Practically every business distributes some sort of information...product sell sheets, technical specifications, catalogs, order forms, proposals, etc. A business website allows you to provide that information in real time when the customer needs it at almost no cost.
Expanded Availability to Customers: Your business website gives your customers access to your business 24/7 with very little increase in overhead or employment costs. Even if you don't have an online catalog, having your information available allows the customer to at least look at their convenience.
Increased Sales: If your small business website includes an online shopping cart or e-commerce solution you can increase your sales with little additional cost. A professional online catalog will cost you less than $150.00 per month...a value that's hard to pass up.
Customers Require It: This is probably the most important benefit of having a business web site. Today with Internet usage reaching
If you own a business today your customers EXPECT you to have a web site. This expectation almost requires you to have some sort of interactive, dynamic web presence and to have online ordering enabled.
The Internet makes it possible to communicate with your customers on their terms within their time-table. It makes it possible to automate information dissemination and customer service. Even if you don’t use the Internet to increase your market reach and revenue the Internet has made it possible to keep your customers happy.
