Want to look like a pro? You've got the brains, the know-how, the products. What about your image? How you present yourself is critical to winning customers. Your website is a reflection of your business. A dinky site suggests mediocre service. Have your website professionally designed. This is even more important if you work from home. It is very difficult to have a  professional image working from your kitchen table. The following two bullets will ensure that you are viewed as a serious player in your field:
  • Use an e-mail address with your company as the domain name, rather than an AOL or Hotmail account. myname@mycompany.com
  • Consider having professionals create  your stationary. Your website, business cards, letterheads and company brochures should reflect a unified professional image to customers.

These steps are fundamental to any business. They can even be applied to a family website.

In creating a website you are integrating your business plan and marketing approach--all into one. It documents and represents your business to customers. As a side benefit, it can also serve as a reference for you and your employees.

Your online marketing tool. For most small businesses, a Web site is rapidly becoming a basic requirement of a marketing plan. A site can help you reach one or more of the following goals:

  • Help customers find you in the offline world — your office, your storefront, your phone number.
  • Persuade customers that you have the right service or product for them.
  • Sell products online, even across different marketplaces, to retail customers or other businesses.
  • Share relevant business information and special offers with customers.

Even a simple site can help customers find you. The simplest possible Web presence is a one-page site that tells people how to find your business in the "real" world. It should include:

  • A good Web address that relates to your company name.
  • Your business address, complete with directions and a good map.
  • Your business phone number, along with fax numbers if relevant.
  • Hours of operation.
  • A clear and enticing description of what your business offers to customers.

This simple Web presence is most appropriate for businesses that serve local customers (a dry cleaner, doctor's office or plumber, for example) and that aren't actively looking to expand their customer base (as with a fully booked dental practice).

For better marketing, create an expansive site. If you're interested in active marketing for your business, you can expand your Web site to make it a more robust online marketing tool. In this scenario, the Web site's job is to convince customers to take that next step: Buy the product online, call you to place an order or set up an appointment, or drive to your office or storefront. Your site is essentially your online marketing brochure, one that's more effective than a printed marketing piece. Web sites enable customers to dig deep into the information they care about, without overwhelming them with the stuff they don't want or need to know. That's hard to pull off in a paper brochure.

You can approach crafting the Web site as you would any other marketing brochure. Use color, graphics, photos and words to get across four key things about your business:

  • What you provide for customers.
  • What kind of customers you focus on and can serve best.
  • How your business is unique from others who provide the same product or service, so customers can decide if your solution is the right one for them.
  • The personality or brand essence of your business — what your company stands for.

In summary, unless you have all the customers you can handle, a Web site can be a good marketing investment. Let Simply Network find a domain name that's appropriate for your business  so we can help design and host your business or family website. Our packages include ... design, hosting, e-mail--all the services you need.

 

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239 443 6000
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CALL NOW!
239 443 6000
Se Habla Español
 

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