Why put your Business on the Internet?

Over the years, there have been many ways to attract more people to a business – ranging from wearing placards as you stand in front of your store to national television commercials. Business marketing has evolved over the years as the world has, and whatever methods you choose for your business, you are certainly interested in getting the most ‘bang for your buck’

, or potential customers for your business. Let’s take a look at some of the different ways to attract customers to your business:

Print advertising: can be anything from local weekly newspapers to national dailies and magazines, depending upon your target audience. Nowadays, however, readership is down for most print publications, as people are getting much of their information from online sources

Radio ads: can lend themselves best to a business which is easily remembered by people who may be driving or otherwise occupied. However, with the rise of such amenities as satellite, commercial free radio, home and car ipod docks, and other ways to get just the music and/or news you want, radio advertising is taking a hit.

Television: While the major companies still vie for their 30 seconds of ‘fame’ via such high profile fare as Super Bowl advertisements, television commercials in general are being largely ignored due to the emergence of Tivo and other DVRs, “On Demand” television and webcasts. Many companies are moving more towards product placement during television programs and movies – such as characters drinking certain beverages or using specific products – which can be quite costly and will truly be effective only for large, nationally known brands.

Direct Mail: While there seems to be no end to the number of credit card company invitations mailed each day, I (along with most people I know) separate all of my mail into ‘junk’ and ‘real mail’ as it arrives, and the ‘junk’ doesn’t even get opened (unless of course, it fooled me into thinking that it was ‘real mail, in which case it got opened seconds before it got tossed!)

Nowadays, over 70% of the population searches for products and services on the internet – if you don’t have a website, you are missing out on over 70% of your potential customers. A website for your business can serve many needs in your business promotional plans:

  • A website can attract new customers who never even heard of your business who are searching the internet using keywords and phrases.
  • A website is an online ‘brochure’ of your services, prices and products – available to your customers all the time, wherever they may be. By putting a web address on all of your other marketing materials – business cards, print ads, signs. etc. – a potential customer can look you up for further information, and easily refer you to their family and friends.
  • A website can deliver key information to your customer – such as business hours and directions – which can substantially cut down on the amount of phone time devoted to such mundane information.
  • A website can become a community where your clients share everything from product opinions to pet photos – depending upon the business you are involved in.
  • A website can include photo galleries, instructional or informational videos, music and sounds, which no other type of advertising can duplicate.
  • A website is trackable, measurable information about your potential customers. A website can be coded so that huge amounts of information can be learned about the websites visitors – everything from how many pages the average visitor views per visit, to exactly what keywords a user typed into a search engine to find your website. Information like that is invaluable to crafting and fine tuning your marketing plans.

Considering the relative inexpense of a website – as compared to other, one-shot deal types of advertising – every business, from the smallest local shop to a larger service provider, can benefit from having a website.