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A lot of brick & mortar companies still don’t have
websites and they seem fine with that decision. But is it
a good one? I don’t think so. In fact, I think any company
without a website in their marketing plan is shooting itself
in the foot. Here are all the things a website can do for
your company:
Generate more leads
These days, the most common complaint I hear from growing
companies is “we need more leads”. A website can
help. Any site that has “can’t-find-it-anywhere-else”
information attracts prospects, and if the site attracts enough
of them, you’ll gain a following. From followings, leads
are generated.
Qualify those leads
When surfers visit your site, you should always encourage
them to take the next step. Whether this is purchasing one
of your products, signing up for an online newsletter or filling
out a survey, your visitors want to know what to do next.
Provide them with several different ways to respond and your
website will separate browsers from buyers.
Attract new visitors
Web surfers are not traditional bricks and mortar types. Most
are comfortable stopping by, introducing themselves and even
purchasing your products without ever meeting you face to
face.
Stay open round-the-clock
We all know how disappointing it is to drive to a store only
to find it closed. With a website in today’s market,
any company can be open for its customers 24/7. Even though
your employees are sleeping when an inquiry comes in at 2
a.m., your customers appreciate that you were open when it
was most convenient for them.
Increase media access to your company
A good website offers a press room so media editors and reporters
can help themselves to the information they need. You’ll
find that there’s a direct correlation between how accessible
your website is to the media and the number of media contacts
your company gets.
Self-serve service
The Post Office now offers an online service called Delivery
Confirmation. After paying an additional 40 cents at the postal
counter, you can track online where your package is in the
mail system. What was once an overhead service for the Post
Office is now a self-service function for its customers (and
a new source of revenue). What if your company could transfer
service functions to its website like obtaining owners manuals,
tracking shipments or answering frequently asked questions?
Load sales tools onto your site
One of my clients loads their latest PowerPoint presentations
onto their website. That way, a sales rep in Boston can give
a presentation to a prospect in Wyoming without either of
them leaving their offices. Think of the travel savings if
you adopted this approach.
Author Bio
Jay Lipe, aka the “Plan Man”, is the CEO of
Emerge
Marketing; a firm that helps growing companies improve
their marketing. He is the author of the book The
Marketing Toolkit for Growing Businesses (Chammerson
Press) which is available at major bookstores and online
at www.amazon.com.
He is also a sought after speaker and seminar leader, and
can be reached at (612) 824-4833 or lipe@emergemarketing.com
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