Keystone Click - The Key to Your Web Foundation

There are so many benefits of advertising on the internet. First things that come to mind is that ROI that is easily traceable. You can track every click that a site user makes on your site.

A website is a great tool to go alongside any marketing campaign. The important factor to realize is that web design is very different from print design. Websites can be interactive and need to pop on a screen rather than on a flat piece of paper. Web design is a matter of thinking outside of the flat surface of a print brochure. Web design is thinking how a site user will navigate, what is the site visitor using to view this web site (MAC, PC, Firefox, Internet Explorer, iPhone, etc). Web design is not thinking long term for content, but how to keep content fresh while keeping the task minimal. Web design needs to flow logically as well as be aesthetically pleasing.

Most companies utilize the internet to verify the legitimacy of your business as well as to do research on your product or services. Brochures, publications, direct mail, and all the other aspects of marketing and advertising are still important for your campaign. However, your website will act as the keystone to your campaign.

All of your advertising materials should have a call-to-action. That call-to-action is usually one of three things, a phone number to call (which most people now-a-days are afraid to pick up the phone initially), an address to write to (very retro way to deal with business), or finally a web site address (or email address) to type in. The latter is the most popular and best received by your target audience probably 90% of the time. There are still a handful of individuals who have not jumped on the WWW bandwagon but the majority of active consumers are on the internet and hoping their favorite companies are too.Marketing through the internet saves time and money for both parties involved. Updating a newsletter is much simpler online than in print, (see our blog post about e-newsletters). Also, with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) online marketing is a must. You want to be found when someone searches for you, so marketing yourself on the internet correctly is vital. People are more likely to investigate the first few sites that pop up rather than hunt for another one. Being near the top will give your organization the edge that you need.

Pay per click advertising also takes your company to your consumers. For search engines, you can bid on keywords that are relevant to your target audience. You can also put your ad on sites that your target market may be on. These constant sites usually charge a fixed price per click rather than bidding. The end result is that your market will find you even if they are not actively seeking your services at the time.

The internet is just one more avenue for you to get your name out and generate buzz and sales for your organization. Who wouldn’t want that?

Regardless of the product or service you offer, the clientele you promote to, or the amount of hours put in weekly to sustain your business it is crucial that every business have a web presence.

Validation. Clients expect a website. It is a way to justify the validity of your services and expertise. When a client is searching online for your company, they expect to find your website. Think for a moment about this: if you don’t have a website, you may be losing a client. Why? Say you own a business called Joe’s Handmade Clocks. Sue starts searching for your website to see your weekend hours. While searching for “Joe’s Handmade Clocks”, she does not find your website (because you don’t have one), but she does find your competitors website “Mike’s Handmade Clocks” and notices they have a special going on through the weekend. Her initial intentions were to go to your store, but after searching for your stores website and finding your competitors, you have lost Sue’s business.

Credibility is attached to a website. New clients often will use your website as a means to validate the legitimacy of your business.

Phone book extinction. Is a portion of your budget going towards advertisements in the phone book instead of online? Nowadays when anyone needs a product, service, information, or anything they go online to Google.com or Yahoo.com or any search engine. The phone book is a tool of the past.

Level playing field. Even though you have a small shop, it is still very hard to compete with the advertising dollars the big guys have. A website allows you to compete on that same level at least within this medium. A good looking, well functioning website does not have to cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars (although the big guys might spend that much). Ease of use and simplicity to find the answer is all the customer is looking for when on a website.

Works for you 24/7/365. When you turn off the lights and lock the doors to go home for the evening, your website is still up and running. Website statistics can show you what hours of the day/night your site is receiving visitors. In the example with the handmade clocks, Sue works full-time and is not able to peruse the web during work hours, so she was probably at home in the evening surfing the web for handmade clocks. If you were selling product online, the site would be collecting orders for you to fulfill upon your return to your store the next morning.

Your competitor already has one. Chances are this is a true statement. Whether your competitor is the big guys or another small shop up the street, it is more than likely you will find your competition is already on the Internet.

Without your presence on the web, you are only hurting your businesses opportunity for growth and are also at risk for losing many opportunities to your competition.