Business Websites – Do you want a Business Website? Do you need a Business Website? What you want your Business Website to do? What is a Business Website for?

• Ever thought websites are not for you or your business?

• You may think its only large online retailers or big companies who need one?

• Maybe you think that you have to be clever on a computer to have one?

• You may think ‘what the heck do I need a website for, as I advertise elsewhere?’

Whatever you think and whatever else you are doing to promote your business, if you don’t have an online presence, then you are not ever going to reach the full marketing potential of your business.

You know as well as I do, no business leaves marketing and advertising to chance. I bet you also know that no smart business owner keeps to one method of marketing. Like me you understand the need for what we call in the marketing world, the ‘pillars of marketing’ approach.

These pillars are made up of a variety of ways to market and advertise your business. All the top successful companies do this. They leave nothing to chance and maximise all opportunities. As they know that if they don't they are limiting their chance to maximise their on-going potential to attract new customers. 

Consider this. Did Woolworths know that after a hundred years of trading it would disappear from the high street overnight? Did Habitat realise, that after growing so successfully and with a loyal customer base, it would have to close up its high street outlets and move into a small convenient corner of Homebase? Did we expect some of the big banks to crash and leave customers stranded? The answer to all these is no.

 



Regardless of their ability to market or advertise their business, when push came to shove these giants of the business world were vulnerable. As all businesses are.

And that's why if you have decided that your continual flow of self referrals, word of mouth recommendations or responses from that one and only paper directory you advertise in is all your going to do, think again. 

Don't take your business or your personal future for granted. You may well have had a nice steady flow of customers conning to you on the back of your current advertising. But whose to say how it will be next month, next year or in the years to come. One day you could be another business which succumbs to the unknown consumer market which will be with us as we proceed toward 2014 and beyond.

Businesses close down for a number of reasons. The main reason is cash flow. That cash flow needs consumers. Consumers need to know you are there. They then need to be made aware that what you have on offer matches what they need. They then need reassurance that you can deliver on what you say you can offer.

So if you want to ensure you attract the people who are going to supply you with the money to keep that cash flow ticking over, you will need to take a serious look at your marketing strategy. And if you haven't yet got a good number of different ways to market your business, then get cracking and get some ideas of what you can do.

Because by having these different pillars of marketing in place. These different ways to advertise and promote your business. You are much more likely to maximise your chance to hook in new customers. Because potential customers don’t just read one newspaper. They don’t just respond to  a direct letter or flyer.

Out there in that big wide world of potential customers are people like yourself. People who respond to different things, in different ways, at different times. Some of these potential customers will hear about you from a previous customer. That’s great because people will then trust in you and if it fits with what they need, they will more likely contact you than anyone else.

 

But what about those potential customers who don’t hear about you ‘word of mouth’, how will they hear about you? Well maybe they won’t. Maybe they will see you. See your van or an advert in the local paper. Happen to come across an article in a magazine.

 

Then there are those potential customers who know what they want and will go searching for it. We all are the same in this way and this is sure the way we shop for things the most. After all, word of mouth and just coming across an advert are marketing approaches that are kind of left to chance. It would only be by chance that whoever your customers talk to are looking for your particular service or product at that very given moment. And of course they may well keep hold of your contact details until such time they do need your service.

 

So if you agree with me that most people, most of the time, will have an idea in mind of what they need. Whether they need new shoes, new windows, a new hair style, new central heating, an extension to the house or a back massage to relieve stress. Generally people do know what they need at any given time and therefore most people will go searching for the people who can supply them with what they need. Makes perfect and logical sense to me. Therefore, the next bit is easy. Where do they look for the people who will supply them with what they need?

 

You may be a new business or an established business with or without a website. It is quite surprising how many businesses do not have any web presence whatsoever. One would imagine with the dramatic and swift rise of the Internet and the ever growing use of mobile phones and with the expansion of tablets that those businesses without a website would have caught on by now. I wonder what it will take for the penny to drop. 

 

I can imagine that there are types of business who may not think that a website is going to do them much good. A business that has established a good flow of customers who return or word of mouth referrals. I could see certain retail pout lets and shops thinking that their presence on the high street is all the advertising they need.

 

No doubt that certain trades such as hairdressers, beauty salons, osteopaths, beauticians etc. may wonder how or why their customers would go searching on the Internet when they have adverts in local newspapers or magazines. Do scaffolders, roofers or bricklayers see a benefit to a website when they spend all their time outside in all weathers and are as far from the webisphere as you can get.

 

Well what can I say? Plenty really as Mrs Bingham will verify. It all boils down to how can a website benefit your business. And what do you want your website to do for your business. Do you want it to advertise the fact you are there? Do you want it to act as a brochure or online shop? Do you want it to be informative regarding the services you offer and the experience and qualifications you have to do the work? Do you want it to show off the projects which you have already completed or show examples of recent work? Well a website can do any one of these things or all of these things for you and your business.

Maybe you already have an idea of what you want and not sure how to go about it. So how about giving the professionals a call who can take you through step by step what you can do and how it can help.

 

Bath Business Web Ltd - Bringing your Business to Life

 

Call for a free consultation and find out more about how you can help your business grow

 

01225 920 503

Wishing you and your business every success for a future unknown.

Bingham

Blogger for Bath Business Web Ltd
Your local Internet Marketing Specialist, Business Directory and Website Design Company