It is clear that any Internet business needs a website or at least a page in social networks. But in the case of offline companies, part-owners believe that the Internet is not needed — no clients on the network, sales and so well go no time for website maintenance, etc. In this article, we prove the usefulness of the site for business, and at the end will tell who the site really does not help.
Tasks that the site solves for business.
First, it is important to understand that the site is not a magic wand that will solve all your problems, immediately bring thousands of new customers, and automatically deal with competitors. It solves a limited number of business tasks and can become an additional or main source of customer attraction. Or maybe not. This depends on many factors: starting with the prices of your products and services and ending with the quality of the site itself.
We will consider the “ideal ” situation in which the product is competitive, and the site is made by professionals and meets the modern requirements of web development. In this case, it will help you solve the following tasks.
Attracting customers
The site helps companies find new customers online. First, it collects traffic from user requests with your company name. If someone has heard about your company somewhere and wants to learn more about it, most likely they will try to find you in Yandex or Google. If you have a website, a person will immediately get to it, read information about you and, perhaps, decide to cooperate with you. And if at the search stage it does not find any information about you on the network, a scenario is likely in which it will go to competitors who have a website.
Secondly, by having a website, you will be able to promote it on the Internet. We will talk about online marketing below, but here it is important to understand that the presence of a site opens up great opportunities for promotion on the web: SEO, contextual advertising, purchasing links, etc. All this brings new customers, and with them-profit.
Marketing
The site allows businesses to use dozens of Internet marketing tools: from targeted advertising to email newsletters. The Internet is easier and more effective to carry out marketing activities: promotions, discounts, advertising campaigns, etc. to Analyze the results is also simpler to monitor the statistics of visits, number of orders, online shopping and other indicators in the Internet.
Let’s look at a specific example of the site’s benefits for marketing. People in the 21st century are lazy — to learn something, they do not ask friends and neighbors, do not open reference books and do not call the city information service. They search for it on the internet.
A person’s TV is broken, you need to fix it, and you don’t want to go far — the TV is big, and there is no time. A man comes to the Internet, opens 2GIS, Yandex maps, Google maps, or simply the main page of a search engine and looking for: “TV repair in the Central district.” Opens the site of the nearest service, looks at the prices — a little expensive, but what to do. and he carries his tv. However, in the next house there is another service with lower prices and a more professional master, but without a website. The person will not know about it and will go to the service that he could find out about on the Internet.
The scheme works not only with services for the repair of equipment, it is applicable to any small business, from hair salons to shops of building materials.
The site also allows companies to conduct marketing research: surveys, questionnaires, and polls to get to know their audience, their needs, and expectations better.
Working with the audience
A successful business in the 21st century keeps in touch with its audience, speaks its language, and builds trusting friendly relationships. The company needs to hear its customers and understand them, and the website is almost the only tool that allows this. On the site, you can create a forum for communication. Although it is now 2019, when most of the communication on the Internet takes place in social networks, forums continue to live. another way to communicate with customers is the comment function, for example, in product cards.
additional elements — widgets-will help to diversify communication with clients. For example, an online chat widget, through which you can answer a visitor’s questions in real-time, take their contact details, and even place an order.
Informing
A new product has appeared, a holiday promotion has been launched, the scope of work has been expanded, bank card payments have been accepted, and the price list has been changed? Be sure to tell your customers about this, and the site will be irreplaceable here. Calling each customer or partner is long and resource-intensive. Therefore, it is better to put this information on the Internet, where they can see it for themselves.
Saving
The site should not be considered as another line of expenses, but as an opportunity for businesses to reduce these costs in the future. You can save money on staff and premises.
Why spend money on salaries for sales managers who close standard deals, if you can automate this process by reducing the staff? Leave 2-3 managers to handle complex, problematic, and individual orders, and let the site handle the turnover.
The site will also allow the company to save on renting premises: retail stores and offices for meeting with customers. you can sell products and tell all the information about the product on the internet.
Creating an image
A website is the face of a business on the Internet. It conveys the mood, mission, and basic principles of the company. Previously, the media used to create an image and promote the brand: television, newspapers, and radio. Now, this has long faded into the background, and the image of the company is primarily indicated by its positioning in the network.
With the help of the website, the business will be able to show the expertise and professionalism of its employees, the quality of products, focus on its advantages, and correctly work out the negative.
Service
The site allows businesses to reach a high level of service. For example, in a good online store, the buyer can view a detailed description of the product, download instructions for it, choose the desired color and size, payment and delivery method, and get personal recommendations. He does not have to wait until the retail store opens until the seller finishes drinking tea and serves him — the first-class service is available at any time.