Web Resources

Advantages of Having a Website

Development & distribution costs are extremely low.

When you compare the cost of establishing a website to what it costs to promote your business in print or on the air, you'll see that a website is the cheapest form of marketing. A radio campaign featuring several 30-second spots per week for three months could run you $5,000 - $10,000. That gets you five minutes per week of exposure for three months in the local area only. Newspaper and magazine ads are similarly highly priced, and they only last for the life span of that particular publication. A website has virtually limitless space.

You could put up a website with dozens of photographs and several thousand words for under $3,000 for the first year, and keep it up and running for a few hundred dollars per year after that. What would it cost to run a newspaper ad of this size for a year? Imagine how much it would cost to produce a catalog for 200 different products, and keep it in consumers' hands for an entire year. You can accomplish this with a website very easily, with low development cost and almost no distribution cost. Websites are in full color - a palette of 16.7 million colors for your photographs alone.

A website is accessible worldwide.

There are no physical limitations to broadcast areas as in radio and no circulation region restrictions as in newspapers or magazines. You can keep your website more current and more affordable than any other media; you can update a website immediately, and as often as you like. Imagine you sell products whose prices fluctuate. With a website, you can change these prices every time they go up or down, so your marketing materials are always accurate.

Websites are economical and not limited by size.

This means a small business can present as large or creative of an image on the Internet as a bigger company - with the right design team. A website also allows easy and safe communication between the consumer and you so that anyone who visits your site can contact you at any time by sending an email. Unlike communications that originate from other forms of advertising, consumers who send emails don't have to deal with many problems of everyday business: pushy salesmen, remembering to call during business hours, having to battle crowds to get to your stores, spending time waiting on voice mail or getting the wrong information. It's convenient, easy, and safe for the consumer. Email is also convenient for you.

Items to Think About When Planning Your Website

Functionality:

Which functional features should your website offer? Consider:

• e-commerce/shopping cart
• site search
• customer service/support
• tech support
• discussion forums
• newsletter
• catalog/information
• order forms
• feedback form
• member lo-gin
• password protected areas
• SSL-encrypted areas

Information:

Which informational elements should your site contain? Consider:

• about us page
• contact us page
• copyright notice
• privacy statement
• disclaimer
• sitemap

• Testimonials from satisfied customers. If you have letters or emails with praise, be sure to get your customer's permission before placing them on your website.
• A Privacy Policy if you are collecting information or addresses for an opt in email list.
• Copies of any logos, business cards and letterhead so the web site can be designed consistent with your other marketing tools.
• A brief history of the company and the key employees and owners. Include pictures of the owners or founders if you would like those on the website.
• Any other published brochures and other typed material that you feel would be helpful and informative for people visiting your web site.
• Pictures of products you are selling. Before and after pictures are also helpful when working with home improvement type products and services.
• A return policy if you are selling a product.
• For attorneys and medical practitioners: a disclaimer advising the visitor that there is no client relationship and any advice given or construed in the web site is not meant to take the place of seeking actual counsel by a professional in the field.

Other ideas include Links page (links to outside websites), Contact Us page, About page, What’s New page, Partners page, Affiliates page, Tips, Hints, or Useful Information page, Resources page, etc.

Some other ideas to advertise your website offline:

• Letterhead AND envelopes
• Personal brochures about you and your company
• Your resume
• Newsletters sent to your clients (either email or in print)
• Signature tag of all email messages (no matter to whom they are sent… friends, family, colleagues, etc.)
• At the end of your voice mail/answering machine message (i.e., …. “and be sure to visit my website at www.yourbusiness.com”.
• Fax cover sheets (many people forget this one!)
• Flyer on free local bulletin boards (grocery stores, discount chain stores, shopping malls, dry cleaners, etc.) – print a flyer on bright yellow paper detailing your web address and your company. BE SURE to include your email address as well as your telephone number! Tack the flyer to bulletin boards all over your town. Keep a supply in your car for handy access.
• Magnetic car signs (many office supply companies will make these for you at a very reasonable rate)
• Neighborhood directories
• Bus stop benches Printed on mouse pads (give one to your clients at Christmas or on their birthday instead of sending flowers)
• T-shirts (white T-shirts can be imprinted with a one-color design for a nominal price). Think about how great it will make you feel to see YOUR web address “walking around town”.
• Business card (As simple as this sounds, it is often overlooked)