If you build it they will come, right? Well, if you don't build it they will go to your competitor. Investing in the development of a Web site is the best, most cost-effective way to "keep up with the Jones' these days" and not having a Web site is the best way to count yourself out of the running before the race has even begun.You probably hear it every now and again, once per month, a few times a week or maybe even every day? Somebody you know tells you that you need a Web site. Your reply is either a gentle reminder that you already have a Web site, an inquiry into why this person thinks you do or a firm command that a Web site is not in your immediate future.
More often than not, your request for additional information leads to a generalized statement that "everybody has a Web site," or that you need to "sell stuff" online. While those are of course valid arguments have you ever really stopped and seriously thought about why you might actually need a Web site, what you might potentially be missing out on (According to NRF/Forrester Online Retail Index, consumers spent $6.1 billion online in December 2000) and how having a poor Web site actually hurts more than it helps?
What I have discovered in my career so far is that to answer the question of why you need a Web site is really to narrow the reply down to a few key concepts that form the core of any Internet project and strategy. Once you grasp and understand the fundamental reasons behind investing in a Web site you might realize that those people who tell you that you need a Web site are actually, more often than not, right. Here are those five essential reasons and a list of others:
1. To Inform
The old adage that nobody knows your business better than you is true, but wouldn't it be great if other people at the very least were able to know what you do? Having a presence on the Web helps others to learn more about who you are, what you do and how your products or services may ultimately benefit themselves. Your business may be the best kept secret in town but ask yourself this; how many secret businesses actually turn a profit? Let people in, enable people to get to know you and open your business to the world of unlimited opportunity. According to Strategy Analytics by 2005 it is predicted that 91 percent of US households will have access to the internet via PCs and other Internet appliances.
2. To Say
Nothing of course compares to a personal visit to your store, office or headquarters but your Web site is the next best thing. Your Web site is your opportunity to make a lasting impression and can serve as your virtual environment and 24-hour salesperson. Consider what your Web site might say about your organization. It may portray that same professional quality that you normally invoke with your pamphlets, brochures and face-to-face meetings or just as poor customer service or a disorganized storefront can undermine the image of a company in the eyes of consumers, so too can a poorly designed, managed and coded website. Also consider what not having a Web site will say about your company.
3. To Do
Nobody develops a business Web site without expecting some sort of a return on investment, so how does investing in a Web site lead to ROI? There are many answers to that question, some are creative and some are straightforward. Is the goal to simply generate an order or is it to collect information such as names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses for the development of a qualified lead database? Do you want somebody to fill out an online questionnaire or just to click around and drive advertising rates? Put simply, if you don't have a Web site that does something, you are putting your business at a disadvantage.
4. To Transform
Think of a Web site as a virtual extension of your traditional business and use the Web to help transform your company to meet and anticipate new industry demands. It has the potential to be your top salesperson and your most helpful customer service associate, it is also a reusable, easily changeable brochure and your top advertisement. Use the Web to interact with customers and clients who are asking for better, more efficient ways of doing business with you because chances are, that your competition has already begun to take those steps to steal your customers and clients.
5. To Compete
If you build it they will come, right? Well, if you don't build it they will go to your competitor. Investing in the development of a Web site is the best, most cost-effective way to "keep up with the Jones' these days" and not having a Web site is the best way to count yourself out of the running before the race has even begun. If you don't have a Web site you won't be found by the millions of people (39.8 million online business searches per day according to Overture) that use the Internet daily to look for different types of goods and services online. Your competitor will be the one that is found instead.
45 Additional Reasons you Need a Web Site
1. You have some information that is helpful or interesting
2. You have a product you would like to sell
3. You want to let people know about your business or organization
4. You have customers who need your support
5. You want feedback from your customers
6. You want to make contact with others
7. You want to expand your business, domestically or internationally
8. You need to transfer information to other branches and salespeople
9. Your message can be seen by millions of people
10. Improve your image
11. You're always open
12. You can increase your productivity
13. Your business gets the competitive edge
14. Your message is always current
15. Your Web site is cost-effective
16. It's never been easier or more affordable
17. A Web site cannot be sent to the wrong address or thrown out
18. A Web site gives your customers instant access to your products
19. A Web site may be changed on the spur of the moment
20. Increases the chances of impulse buying
21. Businesses without an Internet strategy are finding it hard to survive
22. Technology know-how is a key difference in the marketplace
23. Inexpensive, fast and effective customer-service
24. There are no reproduction costs with the web
25. customers can be referred to your web site for further information
26. Reduce staff time
27. Find more customers online (and take some of your competitors)
28. Save time communicating electronically
29. Work can be processed faster and more efficiently
30. Demonstrate a progressive and expanding business
31. keep archives of old information at no extra production costs
32. Your competitors have Web sites and your prospects have seen them
33. Deliver your message without spending money on printing or postage
34. You are on equal footing with the world's largest companies
35. You can reach a potential 50+ million people worldwide
36. You have free demographics gathering capability
37. Provide qualified leads for new clients or contacts
38. You can gather information about your competitors
39. Generate immediate orders from new and existing clients
40. Enable customers to contact you or request more information
41. Used as an inexpensive form of marketing research
42. Builds credibility for your organization
43. Will increase your competitive advantage
44. Because everybody else has one
45. Generate an online list of e-mail addresses for direct marketing
