As radio advertising takes a nosedive, businesses are still looking askance at the Web. Can it really become an advertising channel replacement? Do consumers really look to the Web to find products and services?
To those questions, I say yes, and here’s how:
1. Your web site is the new brochure or catalog. Rather than ordering a catalog via an 800 number, or requesting an information kit from operators standing by, consumers are going to the Web to browse Internet product listings and reading information kits online. Is your web site just a placeholder? Do you provide all the information to your Web audience as you do your radio or television audience? If folks didn’t make it to the trade show, can they download the same print materials from your web site? Why not?
2. Your web site tells your customer why you’re the solution for their problem. Can you give away a report or white paper that showcases your strengths in the exact problem area your clients are experiencing? That goes much farther than a radio ad asking folks to call your toll-free number.
3. You offer new information from your web site each month that helps your clients make important decisions. This can be in the form of a newsletter, a blog, even Twitter. When consumers realize that you’re more interested in providing them with quality information rather than making a quick sale, they’ll sign up to your mailing list. (These are your clients! They will buy stuff from you!)
4. You develop products and services that you’ve developed from listening closely to your client. A web site isn’t a place to just talk about what you think is interesting. For a business interested in developing quality life-long clients, your site should be interactive. Can your clients request information from you? Can they contact you with problems? Do you listen and then respond in kind?
5. A web site works all the time. Unlike a radio ad that you must pay to run 24-7, a web site is up and for a monthly hosting fee, is available to clients whenever they need it. It’s not as expensive as television advertising, and if you’re working hard to stay relevant by producing information your clients can use, a web site can actually bring in more clients than traditional print, television, and radio ads combined.
As the Web continues to grow, and as social media continues to expand at such a fast-paced rate, the opportunities for communicating your business message online will only increase.
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Sometimes business owners do not realize just how important it is to really get your website just as powerful as your business. Someday when it comes time to sell your business that website will greatly add to the value of the sale.