There are a lot of misconceptions about websites, and web presence in general. Often this is down to a business owner believing that a website is not appropriate or suitable for their particular product or service, or that they simply aren’t big enough to need one.
Some people view it as an added cost, both financially and from a time perspective to maintain and update it, which are key areas of concern for a start-up or fledgling company.
Here at DigiF9, we are a major advocate for all things technical, and in this guide will outline a number of key reasons as to why building and maintaining a powerful web presence is a critical aspect to consider for your company, and how it can help transform your fortunes!
ONLINE PRESENCE 24/7
Without having to pull all-nighters.
When starting up your business you answer a few key questions. What product or service will you offer, who will be your target market and what will be your primary operating hours.
Let’s focus on that final point for a second. You will likely have defined primary service hours, for example your standard 9am – 5pm every weekday, and will subsequently hire staff to service these hours. This ultimately limits the hours where you can service clients and generate income to these defined hours.
Building up a digital presence allows you to market your company online and access 24/7 capability, without having to employ staff to work every hour of the day. Going digital may seem natural for an ecommerce outfit, but it is also crucial for any organisation providing services to clients.
So, what can you use your website for? Think in the context of your primary service offering. You can provide a comprehensive overview of your products and services, allow customers to purchase, book or enquire about service capability. Don’t limit your company to service hours, get online and access true 24/7 capability!
AUTOMATIC INFORMATION EXCHANGE
You’ve never heard of us? Okay, so let me tell you a little bit about our company…
Unless you are a household name in the market, it is likely that there are a large percentage of your target market that have not even heard of you. So how do you explain to these people who your company is and what it is you do? Employ a vast amount of snake oil salesman to cold call every number in the phonebook?
This is possibly the most important aspect of a website – defining your company and product portfolio. Use your website to convey your message to the target market, using a detailed ‘About Us’ page, as well as a comprehensive Product & Service portfolio page.
This provides a robust and light touch method of exchanging repeatable information to potential customers. Whilst getting your website right can take a fair amount of time at the start, it will pay back dividends and then some, with this a key example of how investing that time at the start to get the content right, can actually save you time in the long run.
CREDIBILITY
What’ that? Google it…
Welcome to the 21st Century. Where a company has not only ‘coined’ the platform that millions of users around the world utilise as a search engine but has also brainwashed an entire generation of people to answer a question they don’t know the answer to with those two magic words.
As a potential customer for your company, I want what it is you provide, but don’t know which company I am going to choose to purchase from. So, my first point of call is likely to involve a quick search on that go-to location. Put it this way, if you have no digital presence, I am not going to find you, I am going to find your competition instead!
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
Being environmentally friendly is an expensive luxury…
Sorry I thought we were listing false statements. As an organisation in the growth phase the primary objective is to improve market awareness. This is typically done through producing marketing and promotional material, such as leaflets, posters, advertisements and all manner of physical documents that can be dispersed around an area.
Not only does this cost you money but is not environmentally friendly. A high percentage of physical leaflets and flyers are discarded by members of the public which is a pure waste on both fronts.
So why not use the power of the digital space for your promotions. Email marketing campaigns, digital advertisements using social media and promotional material that can be channelled digitally.
MARKET EXPANSION
Expansion? Well, our 3-5 year plan is to start looking at the international market as a means of expansion…
The key lesson to follow is that there is no time like the present! Don’t wait for certain aspects to fall into place, take charge and go international immediately, right from the comfort of your own home!
The best way to grow your organisation is to expand your target market, and building your digital presence allows you to do just that. This can help provide the security to not only keep your business afloat if popularity stalls in one market but allows you to explore different product ranges that are more suited to different global markets.
CONSUMER INSIGHTS
Know who you are targeting (and who you should be targeting)…
This is particularly important for a start-up company entering a market. You may have some previous experience or even no experience in that market, the point is it doesn’t matter. Often markets can be fluid and dynamic, and user requirements can change drastically over time.
Therefore, interest from the target audience that you had initially thought would be the most successful avenue has dried up, but instead a new market has emerged for your product that you hadn’t previously considered.
Well, the quickest way to find that out is by using insight tools such as Google Analytics. Here you can see a breakdown of where the most traffic to your website is coming from by medium, which then allows you to tailor your adverts and invest where you have the highest ROI. You also see, what pages of your website are driving the most traffic, keep the user attention the longest and ultimately gain useful insights into user perception. This can truly help you stay ahead of changes within the market and allow you to target the most effective avenues.
UTILISE SEO
What is it with digital people and their pesky acronyms…
SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation is a critical component in the digital space and can be the key factor in directing users to your website, as opposed to a competitor.
We’ve all been there, when we search for a company of interest and they aren’t the first returned option. Instead, it is one of their competitors that comes up first, which highlights a key success factor for a website – get to the top of the search query!
Let’s face it, human beings are inherently lazy and want to find the answer to their question as quickly as possible, so if you aren’t on the first page of results and near the top of the page, your website will likely be missed out and blend into the silence of the internet.
In summary, if you do not have an active digital presence, you are missing a trick and limiting the surface area of your organisation. Whilst a website can be an initial cost both financially and from a time perspective, it is one that can truly pay dividends for your organisation in your quest for growth.
So how do I get started?
Got an old, out of date website that needs some serious resuscitation? Or you haven’t even started your digital journey and have put it on the backburner? Contact sales@digif9.co.uk to get a free consultation on how we can help support this journey and transform your business today.
