MarketSmartServices LLC : No Website? No, no!

Posted by Dominica Jaramillo on 17 July 2009 | 0 Comments

Tags: website design, Racine, Milwaukee,

It has been my experience, thus far, that too many (small) businesses underestimate the potential power of an online presence. Stuck in the past, they rely solely on word of mouth, a strong method for marketing, indeed, yet still restricting in some ways.

The internet hosts about 1,596,270,108 people DAILY. How many people are you reaching via word of mouth daily? 2 maybe 3? An online presence means you are 100% available, in some way, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's your store front to the world, don't suppress it!

Revolutionizing whole markets, without consideration for size, the internet offers any business the opportunity to market their products, services or information, competitively, WORLD WIDE. Using search engines, social networking affiliations and strategic design and development to lure in the crowds, you are initiating marketing results you have yet to completely comprehend!

The benefits to being technologically hip are innumerable, but check out a few:

1.CHEAPER than Print!
You may not think it, especially after some big-wig, web company slams you with a $3500 website quote (which Market Smart would never do - unless you asked us), but going online saves you BIG $! Think about this, past web design and development (a onetime fee), the space you occupy is cheap, your website is accessible by thousands of prospects for seemingly unlimited periods of time, and, with the help of a content management system, you can make changes to your site (text & graphics) without the having to pay the web developer ever again!

PS: You still need to use other forms of advertising to persuade the locals to visit your site, find out about your company and open two-way communication between the prospect and a sales person.

2.Customer Convenience
I've done it, you've done it, and your dog has done it: we research online before we even step foot in the door. We don't want to waste our time and we don't want to be hassled by a commission driven salesman. Think about it; if the prospect is researching auto shops to repair their 1983 El Camino's muffler system, don't you believe they'd rather be sure you can do it before they drive out there to drop it off? Being accessible online means that prospect has found you, confirmed your abilities, contacted you for availability, and printed off the map (from your website) to find you quickly and easily.
Basically, to show flexibility and understanding, your business needs to be like most grocery stores today: equipped with a self-serve lane. That's where your website comes in. Your prospect can check you out online, in comfort and privacy, minus any distractions or delays, they decide what they want, and who they want it from, and then they go get it.

A website is your ultimate chance to contact the unseen client, tell them what you are about and why you deserve their trust and confidence...and business!

3.Promote your Physical Storefront
Advertise a store promotion on your site. Persuade the customer to come into your store. Provide maps, contact info, store hours, etc... to make it as easy for them as possible. Move recently? Tell the world, and don't risk losing a single sale, via your company's website. Really now, must more be said?

The list does go on, here are a few more:

1.Market Expansion
Break through geographical barriers and be available to any prospect statewide, nationwide or worldwide!

2.Create New Revenue Streams
Sell advertising space on your page; sell a listing in your site's directory; charge a small fee for your site to link to another site. It's that easy - well, if you let us help you. Besides, little extra funds never hurt anyone, right?

3.Open Year Round - kind of...
Don't let you clients get to the store 5 minutes after close, or only to find out that you aren't open on Washington's Birthday! Because they know you have a website, no matter time or day, they can check out when you're open...and when you're not.

4.Market Research for Less
Use your website to monitor what works and what doesn't; visitor polls, online surveys and site statistics help you to understand what your customers like and how they feel about certain areas of your business. You can use your site to determine how to improve your products or services and even how to enhance the way you conduct your business.

Okay, that's enough. You get the idea. Basically, if you don't have a site, you are missing out...because your competitor does have one and they are reaching clientele to service both spoken and unspoken needs.

Now it's time to stop simply relying on Joe, who's been to your coffee shop 101 thousand times, and start relying on Market Smart to bring in 101 thousand more coffee enthusiasts.

Yeah, all this could happen for your company. Market Smart can help.

Sincerely,
Dominica

Market Consultant