Market Your Storefront with a Website
Many people think that the Internet offers a tremendous
marketplace, while others will question the extra effort and
money to purchase and design a website. Some of the money-making
values of having a website are summarized in the following
paragraphs for your consideration.
1. If you have a local group of customers and want to expand to
the neighboring areas, states or even, countries, without
spending massive amounts of costly advertising money or even
leasing more company space, then the Internet can work very well
for you. Niche markets (small groups of customers scattered
about that are interested in a very specific item or service)
also work very well on the Internet.
2. As a business owner, you need to provide a map and directions
to your store for your customers and enable them to look up
specials, discounts, limited merchandise, or varieties and prices
of each item you market. For instance, let's say you sell
cheesecakes and you would like to spend less time on the phone
explaining the different varieties, how many people the different
varieties will serve, prices, and availability. Here's how this
could work online for you. You would provide a secure, encrypted
order form thereby collecting the person's credit information as
well as their address, phone, and email information. They would
list their preferences as to varieties and sizes of cheesecakes.
This form would be sent directly to your email or to your fax so
that you would have the items ready for the customer to pick up
that day or the day they designate. You would have the
cheesecakes shipped for those that cannot make it to your store.
When a customer returns to order another product from your
website, they would not have to fill out most of the form as it
would already be in your database.
3. You build their confidence when you show customers that you
have their best interest and shopping convenience in mind when
you open a website and properly maintain that website with new
and updated information. Customers will appreciate being able to
read about the owners, the store's policies, the service after
the sale, and any other items you think would develop a rapport
to allow them to do more business with you. Having a website
allows your company to develop its style and branding and
develops a sense of security for the customers in doing business
with your firm.
4. A small operation can look just as important as a large
corporation. A website builds confidence and value into your
products and services and allows you to receive orders you may
have missed without being on the Internet.
5. If you do advertising on the radio or TV, newspapers or
direct mail, having a website gives the customer a place to
review what you tell them in the ads in much more detail. Every
ad should reference your website so customers can view the
details at a time and place that is convenient 24 hours a day
seven days a week. You can quickly change and update information
on a website without the expense of printed materials.
6. You can do any promotion online that you can do offline and
much cheaper. Coupons, money-off sales, discounts, employee
recognition, limited merchandise you want to move, all these can
be marketed on your website. Keeping the website up-to-date can
be provided by your webmaster at a very nominal fee.
I hope that you can see from some of the above points that having
your own website is necessary in today's marketplace for any
small or medium-sized business as well as any at-home business.
Customers are out there looking for you and you need to take
advantage of where they are looking and, right now, that is the
INTERNET! Since your competitors have a website, they are
perceived as being more up-to-date. The ease, convenience,
special online savings, information about your company's mission,
your services, your ability to communicate with customers are all
important reasons for having a dynamic online website. Online
marketing will only continue to grow...WILL YOUR CUSTOMERS FIND
YOU ONLINE?
Author
George Whitecraft
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/tbp
http://whitecraftshoppingmarketing.biz/info/l/pba
posted by George @ 12:27 PM
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