10 Reasons Why Your Home Business Should Have a Web
- By Leva Duell
- Published 02/3/2009
- Web Design
- Unrated
Should you have a web site for your home business, small business, or local business?
A web site can be a very powerful tool to promote your business. As of June, 2008, 1.463 billion people use the Internet according to Internet World Stats.
If you have a business, you should have a web site. Even a home business, a small business, and a business conducting business locally should have a web site.
Below are 10 reasons why your home business should have a web site.
1. People will look for your products and services online.
Your prospective buyers are going to search the search engines for your type of product or service online. Today, many consumers search for information online before making a purchase at a brick-and-mortar store. Those people are serious about buying. If they don't know your business exists, you will lose a lot of prospective customers to your competition.
2. Your prospective customers expect you to have a web site.
A web site can improve your business image. If you don't have a web site, your prospects will lose confidence in you and your business.
3. Reach a worldwide market.
The web expands your market worldwide and helps you reach a wider customer base.
You can reach millions of Internet users, individuals, businesses, entrepreneurs and organizations.
4. Get ready-to-buy customers
Customers find you online. When people find you online, they are ready to buy. Today's buyers want instant gratification. They expect instant information and automated online ordering.
5. Your web site is your hardest working sales tool.
Your web site provides information about your services and products and allows customers to automatically order 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. A web site will improve customer service. Customers can contact you (email) any time at their convenience for inquiries, feedback or other important information. A professional web site can make your business look bigger and more s
uccessful.
6. Your customers have Instant access to your information.
Your web site can offer instant access to your customers such as online ordering; instant database access, instant downloads of articles, ebooks, and software. Your email messages and articles reach hundreds of thousands instantly.
7. You save time through automation.
Set up a shopping cart once and it will take orders and verify payments without your intervention. Set up a downloadable book once and it can be downloaded over and over again. Set up an autoresponder with newsletters once and they will automatically go out to all your subscribers and follow up automatically at a time interval of your choice. Provide information on the web site instead of sending out brochures, repeating the same information on the phone, or emailing the same information over and over again.
8. Low Cost
The cost of a web site is low compared to a retail store. You can work from home and don't need to rent an office or a retail store. Marketing and distribution costs are lower on the Internet compared to direct mail and other marketing methods. You eliminate or reduce postage and printing costs. Using email communications can reduce your long-distance phone bills. Fees for hosting, domain names and web design have come down.
9. Make changes easily.
It's easier and less expensive to update a web site than to update your printed promotional materials such as your catalogs and brochures. You can add products, remove and revise information on a web site easily.
10. Improve your business image.
Your business image is vital to the success of your small business. A professional-looking web site will boost your business image and inspire confidence in your products and services.
Today, your prospects and customers expect you to have a web site even if you're a home business, small business, service business or local business. They want to be able to find out more about you, your business, products or services quickly and easily. Don't be left behind. A web site will give your business the advantage over your competitors. Get established online before your competition does!
A web site can be a very powerful tool to promote your business. As of June, 2008, 1.463 billion people use the Internet according to Internet World Stats.
If you have a business, you should have a web site. Even a home business, a small business, and a business conducting business locally should have a web site.
Below are 10 reasons why your home business should have a web site.
1. People will look for your products and services online.
Your prospective buyers are going to search the search engines for your type of product or service online. Today, many consumers search for information online before making a purchase at a brick-and-mortar store. Those people are serious about buying. If they don't know your business exists, you will lose a lot of prospective customers to your competition.
2. Your prospective customers expect you to have a web site.
A web site can improve your business image. If you don't have a web site, your prospects will lose confidence in you and your business.
3. Reach a worldwide market.
The web expands your market worldwide and helps you reach a wider customer base.
You can reach millions of Internet users, individuals, businesses, entrepreneurs and organizations.
4. Get ready-to-buy customers
Customers find you online. When people find you online, they are ready to buy. Today's buyers want instant gratification. They expect instant information and automated online ordering.
5. Your web site is your hardest working sales tool.
Your web site provides information about your services and products and allows customers to automatically order 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. A web site will improve customer service. Customers can contact you (email) any time at their convenience for inquiries, feedback or other important information. A professional web site can make your business look bigger and more s
6. Your customers have Instant access to your information.
Your web site can offer instant access to your customers such as online ordering; instant database access, instant downloads of articles, ebooks, and software. Your email messages and articles reach hundreds of thousands instantly.
7. You save time through automation.
Set up a shopping cart once and it will take orders and verify payments without your intervention. Set up a downloadable book once and it can be downloaded over and over again. Set up an autoresponder with newsletters once and they will automatically go out to all your subscribers and follow up automatically at a time interval of your choice. Provide information on the web site instead of sending out brochures, repeating the same information on the phone, or emailing the same information over and over again.
8. Low Cost
The cost of a web site is low compared to a retail store. You can work from home and don't need to rent an office or a retail store. Marketing and distribution costs are lower on the Internet compared to direct mail and other marketing methods. You eliminate or reduce postage and printing costs. Using email communications can reduce your long-distance phone bills. Fees for hosting, domain names and web design have come down.
9. Make changes easily.
It's easier and less expensive to update a web site than to update your printed promotional materials such as your catalogs and brochures. You can add products, remove and revise information on a web site easily.
10. Improve your business image.
Your business image is vital to the success of your small business. A professional-looking web site will boost your business image and inspire confidence in your products and services.
Today, your prospects and customers expect you to have a web site even if you're a home business, small business, service business or local business. They want to be able to find out more about you, your business, products or services quickly and easily. Don't be left behind. A web site will give your business the advantage over your competitors. Get established online before your competition does!
Leva Duell
Leva Duell, Five Star Web Design and Marketing, provides web design built on proven marketing strategies. Visit http://www.fivestarwebdesign.com/ebook.html and get a FREE ebook, Inside Secrets to Developing a Profitable Web Site, providing powerful, non-techie web design and marketing strategies to increase your online profits.
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