It’s a digital world and believe it or not, more people are turning to the web to buy, sell and interact. This is perhaps the biggest reason why having a website is almost essential for any business or digitalpreneur (Digital Entrepreneur) nowadays.
In fact, owning a website actually helps you with your marketing and you’ll discover seven reasons or ways a website boosts and helps your marketing efforts right here!
In order to understand how a website helps your marketing, you need to understand what marketing looks like.
What does marketing look like in 2019?
With a screen seemingly attached to nearly every face that’s seen, it’s no wonder why advertisers and marketers alike are moving their dollars from traditional marketing to digital marketing. Next time you’re in a room, scan it to see just how many people are glued to their mobile devices. You’ll find that a majority of people are.
Marketing today as it’s known comes in the form of short commercials that interrupt your YouTube videos, pop-up on visited websites and plague pages with banners of various sizes, but is that the only type of marketing going on?
Marketing consists of several steps and is technically considered a journey or funnel, depending on which marketing team you ask. A sales funnel or customer journey is the entire process of brand interaction. It comes in 4 stages:
Awareness
Interest
Decision
Action
From start to finish, most consumers are not even aware they are in a funnel or embarking on a journey. This is because the purpose of marketing is to provide value to the customer while establishing brand credibility for the business. So how can just a website help your marketing efforts?
7 ways a website helps with your marketing
Did you know in 2018, almost 40% of small business owners still did not have a website? What’s even more staggering is that of that group of small business owners, only about 60% of them planned to build one by the end of the year. Now that 2019 is here, 94% of small business owners are looking to make their websites mobile friendly. So, how will a website help your marketing?
- A website maximizes your operating hours
Whether if you are a brick and mortar or e-shop, having a website means your door is always open for customers. This means your website becomes your digital business and it runs 24/7, 365 days a year, and allows you to potentially reach millions.
- A website builds your company branding and image
A perfectly designed website like the ones provided by the design agency Sketch Corp.instills a first impression that creates trust between your customers and your business. As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to evolve, those without a well-designed website will have a much harder time building their brand and company credibility. What does your website say about your business?
- A website makes you competitive
When you’ve spent all of your effort marketing and your customers or suppliers go to look for you online, they are going to find your competitors instead if you do not have a functional website. As more and more businesses look to increase their digital presence unless you are properly representing yourself, your brand, and your business, chances are your competitors will end up gaining those lost customers. It is also worth noting that your website should look just as appealing when accessed from a mobile device. Truth is, people are willing to do business with a lower competitor, simply because their website was better designed or it had answers to their questions easily findable. Do you want to just freely give away your business?
- A website drastically improves awareness of your products and services
Did you know having a website means your customers are more aware of all of your products and services? What if a customer only bought a certain product or service from you and never knew you had so much more to offer? With a website, you are able to open their eyes to all that your company has to offer. This keeps the awareness of your product during the customer journey alive. You can provide them with answers to questions about your services and products, as well as help them find other industry related answers to help solve their questions. Give your audience the full experience without the hassle of phoning in or having to meet in person.
- A website creates a better customer service experience
Having a website keeps your physical staff off the phones answering repetitive questions about services and products. This alone reduces operations costs on phone bills, postage costs, printing, and labor costs, giving you more resources to allocate appropriately. It can also be argued that your customer experience is enhanced because it allows your audience to place orders or open tickets. Your website is a resource that keeps your customers informed about your business and industry, while also enhancing your level of business-to-consumer (B2C) relations.
- A website lowers marketing overhead
A website that has a strong design, structure, and level of interactiveness can actually lower your marketing costs. In fact, some of the largest marketing costs businesses face are publishing, advertising, and communication. From printing brochures and mailers to securing ad space in a newspaper, billboard or radio slot is expensive. When it comes to communication costs, internally it can get costly to communicate between departments. Having a website also internalizes communication and allows staff, partners, and affiliates instant access to what would otherwise need to be printed and sent down the pipeline.
- A website creates efficient communication internally
With a website, companies and establish an intranet that exists alongside your website. With login access, employees, partners, and other approved business affiliates can gain instant access to information they need to accurately perform their tasks. It ensures that a log is kept, information remains private and everything is centralized and easier to control and disburse.
If you have not implemented a website into your marketing strategy, chances are your customers have reserves about your business. Owning a website increases your marketing overall and lowers costs dramatically because you are able to reach a wider and more targeted audience through your website than by using traditional marketing methods. Is your website up to snuff?
Raj Kumar is a qualified business/finance writer expert in investment, debt, credit cards, Passive income, financial updates. He advises in his blog finance clap.
