Are you capitalizing on your website to grow your business?
by Keith Gooden

Since the introduction of the internet, a large number of companies have had the distinct opportunity of expanding their market and customer base without spending a lot of money. The internet or world-wide-web (www) has changed the way many companies do business today and it will certainly play an even more integral role in the way business is conducted in the future. If you own a company, run an organization, looking to broaden your customer base, or simply advertise your business, products and services to a broader audience; then you definitely need to be utilizing the web to help you get to some of your goals.

Have you ever gone to a networking meeting and the first thing that the person you meet says to you is “do you have a business card?” Then the very next question that usually follows is, “do you have a website?” These questions are not uncommon in the networking environment and as you participate in them, you are expected to answer in the affirmative for both of these questions. You are expected to have enough business cards with you whenever you attend a networking session and apart from your name, phone number, fax number and e-mail address, your business card is also expected to have your website. The website will be able to give additional information to prospects about your company, your products, your services and other pertinent information that will assist your target customers in making a buying decision. Most, or if not all of the pertinent information should be on your website.

 In order to market your business, products, services or yourself, a website can be a cost-effective way of accomplishing that goal. If you have not thought about developing a company website, then you should start to think seriously about getting one completed. Many people think that by just setting up a website, customers will automatically be drawn to it and purchases will be made. That is not the case. It would be like having a store with all four brick walls and nobody knows what you are selling inside. The website is just like an electronic storefront. If done correctly, it can be a cost-effective way of generating revenue for your business. In fact, based on a 2006 Arbitron report, more than eight in ten Americans are now online, 71 percent of Americans have the internet at home and 34 percent have the internet at work. Additionally, 33 percent of online consumers say they are spending less time watching television due to their online activities and 52 percent of the respondents have made an online purchase. The online customer base is growing by approximately 150 percent per year. With only a small investment, you could be reaping a high returns on your investment.

There are three key basic things that you should consider before embarking on developing your website. First, you must decide how you want your  website to function; second, you must decide what it will look like; and third, you must decide how you are going to market and optimize it to your target customers.

I am not an expert on websites building, but when you embark on marketing the website all the elements of marketing (4 P’s) will come into play. Since many of you will be building a site for the first time, I would suggest that you seek out an expert in that area. Just like you would seek out a lawyer for legal advice, an accountant for accounting advice, you should also talk to an expert who has the capacity to guide you in the right direction with respect to building your website. Since the website is not going to be a static site, it is important that you have someone who you can have access to in the event of any major changes. This may cost a little more than you are willing to pay, but in the end this additional cost will be worth it. The return on investment is bigger than if you had done it another way.

Here are a few other guidelines that I would suggest you take before embarking on building your website.

• Before you start to construct your website, you must meet and review as much as three web developers before deciding on the one who would build your site. Also, you must consider who will be hosting your site, who will be making the updates and how much you are willing to pay to get the site build and running for customers to access it.
• Make sure that your front page tells each customer what you do. Why they should come back and visit your site and why they should tell a friend about this site. Most people stay on the front page for a couple seconds, so if the front page does not tell them what they want to hear, they will go somewhere else.
• Make sure that your website has a call to action. The site should allow yor customers to place an order, call your phone number, request additional information and supply chain management.
• Ensure that you have in place a plan to monitor your website traffic. Many customers find product or service information by entering "key word" phrases into search engines such as MSN, Yahoo or Google, etc. Search Engine Optimization is part of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and SEO requires the support of software programs that track web traffic.

As I said before, the business landscape has changed and will continue to change as technology continues to drive growth. Whether you decide to get a website now or in the future, make sure that you work with an expert in getting yours up and running. Do not take the chance of doing it yourself (DIY), because in the end it will cost you more than you think.

Keith Gooden is a business advisor who works with small to medium size businesses and focuses in the areas of sales, marketing, strategic planning, customer service, personnel training/management and business operations. You can reach him by e-mail at keith@ecardcorporation.com