The Key to Online Success: Have a Purpose
Many prospective clients, when asked, "What do you see as the main purpose for creating a website?", will say "I don't know. I just know that we have to have one." That most common answer is a sure recipe for online failure.
All too often, business owners and managers use the "ad hoc" method of management and marketing: If a yellow pages salesperson calls, they place an ad; if they see a magazine article about e-mail newsletters, they send out an e-mail blast; if a friend recommends they advertise in the paper, they follow the advice. This undirected, "shotgun", seat-of-the-pants aproach fails to make a consistent and long-term impact on company image and ultimately bottom-line results.
How to develop objectives and tactics for your website
The first step is to forget about your website and focus on the objectives of your business. Do you have a business plan? If so, that will serve as a guideline for how your web presence will serve your company. For example, if one of your goals is to be recognized as having excellent customer service, you may establish objectives that include: Listening to clients, educating clients, and providing extra value. If we focus on "listening" as an objective, then what tactical activities can you plan that will support that objective? Initiate focus groups of current clients, include reply cards in every box of product shipped, involve staff with customer satisfaction phone calls, and a implement a website feedback form.
This method of starting with your long-term goals and deriving objectives, then tactics will make for a much more productive business, with or without a website. Your website, then, must support your business model. This is why a lot of the dot com companies failed: They had no feasible plan for a profitable business model. Now we know, it's not enough to just be online.
Purposes for Your Website: A Menu
Once you develop your goals and objectives and you need suggestions for strategic tactics to achieve those objectives, here are a few ideas:
Increase Lead Generation. Every business requires a stream of new prospective clients. Every method should support all the others. Your business cards should include your web address. Your brochures should have the same look as your site. Your yellow pages ad should refer people to your site for more information. Your signage should include your URL. There should then be a means for qualifying leads on your site, a form for them to contact you, and a reason they should supply their name to you.
Create New Revenue Streams. Of course, you could have an online store to sell your wares. But have you thought of "packaging" your knowledge and offering it for sale? With New Tech Web's consulting services, you could create new passive income streams with little additional effort or cost.
Enhance Corporate Image. If this is your objective, one tactic could be to spruce up the appearance of your existing site or create a site that matches your chosen image. Do you want to be seen as professional and knowledgeable? Or is your image more fun and frivolous? It's your choice. In either case, the perception can be effected by your site.
Reduce the Cost of Sales. Many sales managers have heard the figure quoted that every sales call costs $250 toward developing new clients. Instead of flying unqualified prospects for a tour of the factory, or sending a sales person across the country to give a presentation, or requiring clients to come to your location for a new product demo, show them online and walk a client through the steps over the phone.
Your business website can be made more effective when it has a purpose created with the help of New Tech Web.
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