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Having a web site is like other forms of advertising: it provides information about your business and encourages customers to choose you rather than your competitors.
Internet use is growing rapidly. More and more, people are using the Internet to search for businesses that provide the goods and services they are interested in, so your web site is similar to a phone book ad. It gives potential customers a way to find you, and gives you an opportunity to present information of interest. But unlike a phone book ad, having a web site allows you to present a great deal of information very attractively, and updates can easily be made as often as needed so that the information presented is always current.
- Include helpful facts like you'd put in a phone book ad, such as location, phone, and hours of operation, along with enticing text and images.
- A web site gives you the opportunity to present a lot of information at very little extra cost, so take advantage of it by including everything you'd like your customers to know about you.
- Full-color, attractive images are very cost effective on a web site, and are helpful and enticing to customers. Consider including photos of your products, storefront, and staff, or any others that are appropriate.
- You may wish to provide extra content that will attract a targeted audience. For example, a craft supplies store could present how-to articles, or a garden center could provide gardening tips. Content of interest to your customers that is updated regularly will increase the number of visits to your web site.
Newspaper, radio, and television advertising presents unsolicited messages to potential customers, rather than waiting for customers to come looking for you. Your web site can perform a similar function. Just like traditional advertising, on the Internet, your message is presented along with content that has attracted the viewer. This can be done by placing small ads on existing high-traffic sites and/or by offering content on your own web site that will attract visitors directly to you.
Your web site can also perform a function unlike any of these traditional forms of advertising. It can interact with your customers. For example, it can solicit and record their comments, ask that they fill out a survey, or respond to their search request.
In addition to its usefulness as a promotion tool, a web site has the potential to provide your business automation benefits, including increased convenience for your customers and possible reduction in costs for you. See When is the right time? for more information on using your web site to automate customer communication.
Because the Internet is available to a global audience, it's sometimes thought of as only being useful for mail-order businesses or huge companies. Businesses that serve a specific geographical area may overlook the benefits described here of using it for advertising. Remember that your customers are using the Internet along with the rest of the world!
