Nowadays, having a website is as crucial as having a shop, office or telephone number. Research has found that customers expect brands to have content online about their business. Online presence is important for every brand. If you own or operate a business which hasn’t taken that step into the online world, here are 5 reasons that will leave you wondering why you hadn’t done it sooner.
ONLINE PRESENCE
Having a website means customers are always able to find you – anytime, anywhere. Even outside of business hours, your website continues to find and secure new customers. It offers the user convenience as they can access the information they need in the comfort of their own home, with no added pressure to buy. Plus, as most companies nowadays have their website, there’s every chance you could be losing customers to your competitors by staying offline.
INFORMATION EXCHANGE
At its simplest, a website provides a quick and easy way of communicating information between buyers and sellers. You can list your opening hours, contact information, show images of your location or products, and use contact forms to facilitate enquiries from potential customers or feedback from existing ones. You can even upload promotional videos to really engage your customers and sell your business in an effective and cost efficient way. This is also a good way to promote your social media channels and build up a community with your customers.
IT CUTS COST
As well as simply displaying information, you can also use your website to sell goods & services directly to consumers, in some cases removing the need to use “brick-and-mortar” stores which involve large operating costs (staff wages, rental, utilities to name just a few). Eliminating these overheads will also allow you to lower your prices, giving your business that real competitive edge. It can also be used internally within your business; do you have any news you want to share with colleagues or have any important information that can be accessed by management? Having an internal website can save you a lot of time as everything you need is one place and can be accessed at any time.
MARKET EXPANSION
As your site is accessible to anyone all over the world, the ability to break through geographical barriers has never been easier. Anyone, from any country, will be able to find your company and as such, is now a potential customer.
CUSTOMER’S SERVICE ONLINE
Websites provide an easier way to handle customer service. Offering answers to regularly asked questions in a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section, you can reduce customer service costs and save yourself time and money, as well as providing much more information. This also means that customers can receive a reply instantly and saves time, which helps to encourage positive customer relations in the long run. This could be a benefit for you, all positive feedback can be uploaded into a testimonial, and your customers are happy why not it off?