The exact answers to these questions will be different for everyone. Here are some general guidelines that apply in most situations.
Not every organization can afford television advertising, but a website provides a visualization element and is always available to anyone with Internet access. If a customer has questions that can be better answered on a website than over the phone, this is a valuable asset to your marketing mix.
There is a good possibility that you found this website through a search engine (such as Google or Yahoo!). Usually between 80 and 95 percent of all website traffic comes from search engines, and that is also true of this website. This means that you can get visits from people who are actively looking for you, your product, your service, or your information. A website is an extremely cost effective way to advertise to those who are already interested in what you have to offer.
There is no other medium for being available 24/7/365 that even compares to a website. With the modest cost of developing a website and making it available on the Internet, there is nothing even close to being as cost effective. In addition, printed materials are easily misplaced. Television and radio commercials air at preset times. A website can be visited at a time that is convenient for the visitor, and they will have more interest because they want to be there on your website.
Even just a few years ago, most websites were nothing more than an electronic brochure. Their real potential was not being realized. That has now changed dramatically. Website visitors have the ability to control and interact with a well designed website. You can take a virtual tour, spin an object around to see all sides, and much more. The real magic is that each website visitor interacts with what they want to, when they want to, and how they want to.
Every visitor's needs are met with a good website design. If you have exactly what they are looking for, then you have the opportunity to provide all the information they need. You have their attention because they are already interested. By strategically planning your website, you can customize each area to the type of website visitor who can benefit from it. It is also possible to program the same page on a website to display different information to different users, making your website even more personalized.
Unlike printed materials, which require a separate setup for each change, and then additional printing time, websites can be changed on a minute by minute basis if needed. The expensive production costs of video, and the editing time needed for a good advertisement, make websites even more attractive. Plus, video can be provided on a website, and printed materials can be made available for download on a website.
By making printed materials available on a website, it benefits both you and your website visitors. They have instant access and do not have to wait for your mail to arrive, and you save on printing and mailing. The printed materials have even more impact because you can illustrate things on your website while they are visiting, things such as movements and animation, that printed materials cannot show.
Aside from the fact that when a customer asks you for your website address, they expect you to have one, there are benefits so numerous we will mention only a few. Customers can make an informed buying decision. If they are deciding between you and a competitor, your website could mean the difference between who gets the business. It also provides a way for customers to benefit after a sale. If you provide information or support through a website that makes them happier about buying from you, it strengthens your business. By providing an opt-in mailing list, your customers and website visitors will give you permission to contact them about special offers or additional things they may be interested in purchasing from you.
There are a lot more benefits to having a website than what we have listed here. If you contact us, we could discuss more specific benefits that we can bring to a web design for you. If you already have a website design that is not meeting your expectations, or you are not getting the benefits that you should be getting, then we can evaluate your site and discuss how we can transform it into a profitable web marketing tool for you.
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