No matter how unusual your business is, if you take on the ownership and the direction of your marketing activities, you will benefit from a website.
For some reason, there are a few unusual businesses that feel that the Internet has passed them by. They struggle to see the return on investment of having a website and, not surprisingly, have legitimate reservations for needing one.
Here are the common problems surrounding this issue, the reason why business think this is a problem and how it can be solved:
"You don't understand my business..."
Agreed. The ownership and marketing direction of the website should remain with the business as only they have the knowledge, passion and skills to impress their customers. This is why they should never just hand over their website to a company that simply wants to take the hosting fee. Instead, they should find a resource that helps them to tap into their passion, focus on their customers and use their website to position themselves in their market as a trusted, knowledgeable and helpful expert.
"My business is different..."
This is a surprisingly common comment. It seems everyone's business is different and yet so many are the same. Business is a simple process that can be broken down to key areas that all businesses have in common.
Businesses need a product. It doesn't matter if this is a manufactured product such as a pen or a car or a service such as health care or will writing. Every business has a product to sell. Developing a marketing strategy w
ill help you define what makes your business different from your competition and show you how to tap into your passion to make it irresistible to others.
Businesses need customers. To stay in business they need customers to buy their product. All businesses need customers and the marketing know-how and strategy to attract and keep them.
Businesses sell the product to the customer to make a profit. Setting targets and implementing a marketing plan will help you make more web sales by focussing on your customer and creating content that guides them through the entire buying process.
"But I don't sell..."
Yes there are a few businesses that don't sell. Instead they pre-sell and then pass the lead onto either a showroom or the seller via an affiliate programme. The principles remain the same as you need to generate interest, create trust and then recommend instead of directly selling.
"I really don't sell..."
There are a few very unusual businesses that don't use their website as a promotional or lead-generating tool. Instead, their websites add additional value to their main business. For example, a lecturer or speaker may use their website to host additional course notes and worked examples. Such businesses should explore how they can expand the use of their website to position themselves in the market and get bookings as well as add value to them.
Jon Beal, MD of Netflare, has recently launched www.businesswebfactory.com that offers you the complete marketing fundamentals and strategies to build a successful website and a 7 week email course to guide you through everything you need to know to build long term success.
Rate This Article
Add Comments
Send To Friends
Print 
Download as PDF