1) Like a house that needs renovating to give it a better appearance and functionality, so does a business web site. If the look of the business web site looks plain and ugly, it’s time for an overhaul. A client of mine had a web site designed by a well-known company that offers free business cards. The design had no appeal and the client wasn’t getting any inquiries from this particular site. Just like a brick and mortar shop. A consumer will be drawn to a shop that is appealing and presentable. Same business rules apply to the internet. A site that is designed with appeal and has excellent presentation will attract customers. In nature flowers and bees are attracted to the brightest flower, same with your site design.
Tip 1 = have a well-designed, appealing and easy navigable site, this will attract customers!
2) Your business web site sells products, as the business owner your site doesn’t have e-commerce capabilities i.e. the business web site doesn’t allow customers to purchase goods online. Without e-commerce the customer needs to call the business or fax their order through. This process is very antiquated. For a business to survive and compete with similar businesses in their industry they must offer the capabilities of offering the convenience of a customer to order online. A smart business will try and automate as many systems as possible into their business. When a business owner automates systems it places him/her at a unique position. When the business owner wants to take a holiday, their automated online ordering system will place the customer order, whilst the business owner is relaxing and taking a well-deserved holiday. Every business owner should have a business web design incorporating an e-commerce shopping capabilities and system automation. E-commerce shopping carts will increase revenue and maintain a healthy gross margin for the business owner. Business owners giving something away for free helps by building a customer list/database e.g. I am interested in golf, I go to a golfing website and I discover I can download a tip sheet for improving my golf swing. I am interested in this free tip sheet. So I enter my details in the “opt-in” box and instantaneously I receive the tip sheet. I am happy because I have the tip sheet to improve my swing & the business owner is happy because they have my name and e-mail address. Now the business owner can promote other golfing stock that may appeal to me.
Tip 2 = have a business web site with e-commerce & opt-in box capabilities.
3) The design of the business web site lacks Web 2.0 technologies. Every site today should have social media capabilities i.e. Facebook, Twitter and You Tube. I won’t go into depth regarding Social Media Marketing. I will write another article on this subject next week. Today’s business owners need to be incorporating the Social Media Marketing strategies into their marketing campaigns. If company “X” has 10,000 Facebook followers on their Facebook page and decide to run a 25% discount off their products or services. Company “X” at the touch of a “Facebook Status Update” can send this message to 10,000 followers. That’s the best/cheapest marketing effort I know of and the conversion of sales can be tracked by using analytical software, therefore making it easy for the business owner to calculate their return-on-investment (ROI).
Tip 3 = engage in web 2.0 technologies especially social media.