Imagine a low-cost showroom giving every customer and potential customer 24x7 access that educates and provides a consistent message generating revenue for you. That is what a well-designed business website will do for you.
Below you will find ten reasons I know having a website is essential for your business to grow.
Imagine being on Facebook and it going down for an entire day. Those that were on Facebook that day lost all of their sales. On social media, your competition is also there, fighting for the top spot. Your website is just that -- yours! You control the information that goes out to your customer.
Without customers, we will be out of business very quickly. Whether for-profit or not-for-profit organizations, you need to educate and inform your customers what makes you different and stand out from everyone else.
By having a website, you resolve your customers' curiosity, making it easier for the customer to approach you. You've already educated them on what products and services you have. Imagine the perfect employee that communicates the exact message you want to every customer.
Building on having an exact message to every customer, you can provide more detail than in person. You allow your customer to get more information, dig into features, and get that perfect apple-to-apple comparison.
A great website is built and kept constantly updated, showing your business is thriving, and a place to convince customers to come to you. You can showcase your reviews (e.g., your digital reputation) to build trust with your customers to let them know that others trust you.
The item that all business owners want is more revenue coming to their business. A website allows you to increase sales by scheduling appointments, selling products, and gathering information about new customer leads to convert into a drip campaign.
Behind your digital marketing efforts will be generating an email or texting list to keep in contact with your customers. With this information, you can stay at the front of their mind for coming back and word of mouth to their friends and families for places to visit.
The first place many people go is to Google. They will type or speak items like "restaurants near me," "hairdresser Saint John," and "teenage braces dentist in Saint John." With constant updates and improvements, you can move ahead of the competition online and take advantage of the 400+ Google updates each year.
Beyond Google, you will see people asking questions to local directories, like the Yellow Pages, Apple Siri, and Amazon Alexa. By putting yourself onto the platforms, your customers are on, and you can grow your business and your brand visibility.
Every business owner wants to know where their marketing dollars are going. You can tell how many visitors you have, their age, gender, and what pages they've gone visited. You can see where they click, how far they scroll down on a given page and even tell where their eyes are looking.
Posting your jobs on your website is becoming more critical than ever. Yes, you can post on job boards or social media. The place you want them to go is your website. This way, the potential employee learns about your business, fills out the exact form you want, has your actual job application, and shows your customers that you're growing by needing more staff.
You will need to consult with your accountant for this one as they will inform you of the best way to do this. Some, or all, of your marketing dollars, can be set to offset the amount of money you owe the government from your business taxes.
A website shows that your business cares enough to inform your customers and present a clear brand message.