Reading a local business magazine recently, I came across an article, an advertisement for a new web design service here in my local area. Being curious of course, I had to have a look. They listed ten, what they said were unique points to their service. I thought it was worthwhile making comment on these and discussing exactly whether or not these things are unique, whether they are necessary even, and how they can apply to your business.
Number one, they say your website is your business card to the multiple people who are online searching for the product or service on offer. Yes. Hello? Where?s the uniqueness in that? Yes. Okay, so we all need a website. But it must be a lot more than just a business card, a brochure. This is the common fault with people who are selling these cheap and nasty packages. It is nothing but a business card or a brochure, and I?m sorry folks. It will not help you grow your business at all.
Number two, your website is accessible to your current and future customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ha! Not in this country. Well, that depends on your web server, doesn?t it? Yes, in theory, that is true. But, guess what? If you put a brochure into a mail box, if you put an advertisement in the local yellow pages, yes, it?s also available for the same, which is why you have to give people more than just a brochure.
Number three, a quality website adds credibility to your business. Aha! Now we?re getting down to it. Yes. This is exactly why these people, I believe, are not going to succeed for their customers. Let me clarify, they will succeed as a business selling cheap and nasty web packages. But they won?t succeed for their customers, because they?re not building quality websites.
Those websites not going to add credibility to their customers. So you, as a customer, as a website owner, must have an outstanding website which offers value to your customers. That?s where your credibility comes from.
Number four, it allows you to introduce yourself to your customers in a powerful and descriptive way. Yes. Okay, I?ll give that one a point. Powerful and descriptive way, as long as the content of the website is useful, valid, and something that your customers want.
Number five, your website allows you to reveal the personal side of your operation, inspiring loyalty in their customers. I can hear the butterflies in the background now. Allows you to reveal the personal side of your operation inspiring loyalty in their customers, what and interesting way to put it. Yes, a good website, a beneficial website is one that you can interact with your customers and engage with them, have them engage with you and show off a little bit of that personal side. Something which I?m striving to do more of now and I strongly encourage you to do the same.
Number seven, your website can answer your customers frequently asked questions ? FAQs, F-A-Q-S ? in a professional and timely manner. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. I can?t say that enough. Yes, this is still an important, essential thing. Now, where should you get your FAQs from, your F-A-Qs? You should get them from your customers.
That means, don?t make them up. It means mail your list and say, ?I?m putting together a top ten list,? or a top five, or whatever. ?Tell me what kind of questions do you have?? Make sure your questions are not what you think your customers? questions will be, but what you?re customers questions actually are.
Number eight, your website allows you to enhance and extend all printed marketing materials with a link to your website. Yeah. Number nine, I?m sorry. I don?t have anything to add to that. You can have a website and you can put a link on your marketing material. Yo.
Number nine, your website is the cornerstone of any current or future online marketing campaigns. There we have another one. Yes, we?ve got three or four in here that actually make sense and this is again the problem with the cheap and nasty websites. Cheap and nasty websites are what? They are cheap and nasty.
Why do I use those two words? What two words? Cheap and nasty, please stay away from them. You need a website that is designed to your custom needs. Whose custom needs? Yours and your customers. Their needs are more important than yours. Their needs supersede yours. Their needs are more important than mine, yours, your pet dog, or whatever. Your custom website means customers? website.
Number ten, you can add or delete items and also reply to customer inquiries at time of your choosing. Yes. Yes. Yes. Again, yes. Finally, we have another valid point out of this top ten list of cheap and nasty websites. It is important that you, as a business owner, are able to modify, edit, do some work, change content on your own website, very important.
Hey, why would you want to come back to me and pay me $50 to change your phone number? I don?t mind if you want to pay me $50 to change your phone number. Knock yourself out. But you shouldn?t have to. If a customer makes a comment on your blog you should then be able to jump in straightaway and reply to that, approve it. Decide whether it?s worthwhile following up, perhaps a phone call as well as a reply. There could be more business there.
A good website is an opportunity interact with your customers. Please, I warn you. I caution you. Stay away from the cheap and nasty ? cheap, cheap, nasty, nasty websites. Stay away from them because they will not serve your needs and they will not serve your customers? needs as well.
So a final thought on this advertisement from a massive company in my local area now competing against me, and I don?t know however many hundred other people there are out there. They?re trying to be unique. There was very little unique in that list. How do I be unique? Simply this, I sit down with my people I talk with them. I interact with them. I ask them what do they want. More importantly, I ask them, what do their customers want.
That?s what you should be asking as well, what do your customers want?
Because whatever it is that they want, if you can find a way to package it, perfect it, and deliver it to them, you?ve got a business that will last a lifetime.
If you?re looking for help with your website; contact me via my small business website at http://www.paulbarrs.com.au
Source: http://www.paulbarrs.com/new-webdesign-service-in-my-local-area
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