The Time is Now… The price is Right… Why are you not online?
If you’re a local business owner, you’ve probably been wondering what to do about the Internet. Maybe you have already have a website, but it’s taken more money out of your pocket than it’s put in it?
You might be thinking you should get online…but you’ve heard it takes too much time and money.
Do you think your business is too small - read on and we’ll prove you wrong. In the hands of professionals, getting a web site can be very little work and reap great rewards. Dollar for dollar, a professional-looking site can be the smartest advertising move a small business can make.
It’s tempting to ignore the issue and hope it goes away, but there are some very good reasons to get moving - and here are 10 of them:
1. People Will Look for You Online
Sooner or later, someone’s going to type your name into a search engine. What do you want them to find? Nothing? These are people who want to find you, and if you don’t have a website then you’re letting them down - they expect you to be online. For many people, you might as well not exist if you can’t be found with a search engine. Not having a website is like not bothering to get listed in the phone book. Whether it’s getting new customers interested or keeping old ones up to date, very few people are going to find you if you aren’t online.
2. It’s Practically Free
Once, it cost a lot to run a website - but with ProWebsite4u.com those days are long gone. What other media costs as little as $30 per month and delivers trackable responses 24 hours a day, all year long? Really, it’s never been cheaper to have a website than it is today. Compare it to a black and white ad in your local paper that runs once a week starting at $60. Compare that to the outrageous prices charged for yellow page ads, which can range in price from $1,000 to over $100,000 per year.The return on investment for owning a website is phenomenal.
3. It’s A Great Communications Tool
The Internet is the ultimate communications tool - fast and cheap. You can use it to communicate with suppliers, resellers, and of course, your customers. Some uses include:
- Send discount coupons by email, reducing direct mail costs Get customer feedback through email or feedback form on website — it’s quick and it’s easy, so you’re more likely to get customers to participate Send product information or announcements Send periodic newsletters with useful information and special offers
- Put your brochure or catalog online, reducing printing costs. For some businesses, simply putting their catalog online has saved them thousands of dollars a year in printing and mailing costs. Of course there will always be people who want printed catalogs, and not every customer will have email. But in terms of cost, you simply cannot beat the economics. To follow up with 1,000 customers through direct mail will cost $340 or more just for the postage…but with email it’s virtually free. And being able to interact directly with a customer on a regular basis is priceless.
4. To serve Your Local Customers
A website can be a worthwhile investment even if it’s just an electronic version of the Yellow Pages: street address, phone number, business hours, forms of payment accepted, contact information.
Except…what happens if you move, or your area code changes, or your hours, or anything else that’s printed in the Yellow Pages? You know the answer to that one.
But a website is dynamic — information can be updated at any time, plus you’re not limited to 2 or 3 lines worth of information. Plus there are so many ways to interact with your customer, which is a lot more interesting for them and potentially very valuable to you. Here are some very low-tech examples, very easily added to your website:
- FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions or FAQ, is a popular term on the Internet. You are reading one right now. And in real life, there are always questions you hear over and over from your customers. These are the questions people have about doing business with you, and you certainly want to make it as easy as possible. Why not save everybody some time and post often asked questions - and their answers - on your website?
- Discount Coupons - What better incentive for someone to visit your website than to save money? Customers love getting a bargain, and the great thing about coupons is the customer usually has to buy something to get whatever goodies the coupon offers. Your coupon will especially motivate the prospect that was already thinking of doing business with you.
4. Websites vs. Print Advertising
Whatever you’re advertising - your services, your products, or just yourself - a website is a great way to do it. Every other kind of advertising going costs a premium, especially if you want to target a specific kind of person, and there’s no guarantee that they’re paying attention. Websites are like brochures that are free to reproduce, interactive, and quickly distributed to people who are already looking for them. No advertising medium even comes close to the ease-of-use and effectiveness of a website. Dollar for dollar, a website wins hands down.
5. A Website is a Worldwide Presence
On the web, it doesn’t matter whether someone is next door to you or on the other side of the world - they can see your website just the same as anyone else can, at no extra cost to you or to them. Phone and postage both cost enormous amounts long-distance, but a website lets you send information anywhere without any extra effort or expense. You can make friends and contacts in places you’ve never been and will never go - suddenly, working globally is no more effort than working locally.
6. Your Website Can Make You Money
There’s a lot of money on the web, and it’s not hard to get some. If you have something to sell, you can sell it worldwide, thanks to credit cards. All you need is your information, products and contact info out there,and the sales are a click away. An important element is to incorporate your website into all of your marketing materials starting with business cards and letterhead, then watch the hits come in.
7. Your Website Will Save You Time
Giving out information takes time, whether it’s on the phone, or in brochures, or even if it’s just emailing someone. Websites are designed to save you time. All of your potential clients can read your entire story online and access as much or as little information as you want them to have. Customers can see your whole product catalogue without ever needing to talk to you or visit you. This is the power of the web - a good website runs itself, and keeps being useful to people for much longer than you’d expect.
8. Because Your Customers Are Online
Did you know that 40-48 million adults went online last year looking for local content? The average local user is college educated, makes good money, and likes shopping online. They are more likely to make purchases than non-users of local content, either online or offline.
This demographic market is every business owner’s dream. As more local information becomes available online, people are starting to look at the Internet as something useful instead of a passing fad. Consumers are getting online in record numbers, resulting in a critical mass of local users in top markets, and spreading across communities of all sizes. Chances are a number of your local prospects and customers are part of this desirable demographic - and that number will only increase.
9. And So Is Your Competition
Seventy-eight percent (78%) of all U.S. small businesses are connected to the Internet, and nearly 50% will continue to maintain active, purposeful Web sites this year. Analysts at www.emarketer.com had predicted that 72% of small businesses woud have engaged in e-commerce by 2002, racking up an impressive $230 billion in total revenues.
Maybe you think nobody in your industry is using the Internet. But I guarantee, whatever your business, one of your competitors is successfully using the Internet to promote their business…perhaps not locally yet, but it’s just a matter of time. If your competition is there, you should be too.
10. Prowebsite4u.com Is The Solution You Need
Your website gives your potential clients an immediate first impression of you. And you want that impression to be feelings of quality, trustworthiness, and professionalism. Don’t settle for a cheap looking website that clients never come back to. Ensure that your clients will visit again and again with a website produced by ProWebsite4u.com.
So there you have it - 10 good reasons to get your local business on the Web. What’s the answer? Make the decision to get started today with ProWebsite4u.com
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