First point of contact
These days a website serves as the first point on contact between you and your target market. Many consumers or clients will search for a company using search engines and will visit the website in order to get a feel for the business. They may get frustrated if they spend a lot of time trying to find a website, only to discover that the company does not have one. Having a website makes you easy to find and accessible.
Communication
With a website you can communicate with anyone in the world for free. All you need is to have your email address on your website and anyone, anywhere, can get in touch. If your organization is international this saves a lot of money on telephone bills. Also, you can send a document from one side of the world to the other in a second. As a generation grows up who have always had they internet you will find more and more people are less willing to pick up the phone, preferring instead the medium of email.
Good impressions last
A good website does not need to be expensive. With the wide range of website builders and free open source software out there, it’s not difficult to put together an attractive website. A well-designed, well-structured website can be produced even by businesses and non-profits with minimal resources. An engaging website is the first step in directing people towards your bricks-and-mortar business. The inverse of this is that bad impressions also last. There’s no point having a website that is so badly put together that it puts people off.
Cost-effective marketing
Reaching a large audience with traditional print advertising can be very costly. Imagine designing and printing leaflets then sending them to everyone in the USA, or even everyone in your local area. That is going to cost a lot of money! With just a little bit of planning you can develop a website that will not only get your message to your entire country but that is accessible globally.
It’s your brochure
Your website will allow people to find out all about what you do before you even meet them. If you are a retail outlet it will enable customers to look for what they want online before they come in to your store. If you are a charity offering grants then you can put all of the information online about your cause, board of directors, etc. If anyone asks you for any information all you have to do is direct them towards the website. In addition, if you need to change any of the information you don’t need to print a new brochure or send out notices to all of your clients, all you have to do is update the website and it’s done!
24-hour business
If you are relying on a shop or an office alone then your business relies on someone being there to man the phones, or speak to customers or clients. With a website you are open all day every day. There may not be someone ready to talk at any time but if a potential customer is having a late night brainstorm and decides they want information about your type of business then your website is always there, ready with the information that person needs.
Everyone else has one
Probably one of the biggest reasons for having a website is because most of your competitors already do. While there still hundreds of organizations out there who remain offline, the ones who do have websites have a massive advantage. The majority of people have internet access nowadays and most of them will shop around online before getting in direct contact with a business. If you don’t have at least a basic, free website then to these people you don’t exist.
