Do We Really Need a Web Site? The reasons decision makers give for not having an internet presence....

THE MOST COMMON REASONS GIVEN BY BUSINESSES FOR NOT OWNING A WEB SITE ARE:

"We'll wait for others to try it out and only enter the market place when the path is clear."
Early adopters of new business methods gain a competitive advantage which latecomers find hard to catch up with. The internet will not go away; it will change and evolve but it is here to stay, with more companies going online every day.

"None of our competitors have gone online so there's no hurry."
This leaves your company in the enviable position of being able to be the first to take advantage of new business methods and get the edge on your competitors, who won't be far behind.

"We rely on traditional channels to sell products/services and that's doing fine."
Internet sales and the use of e-commerce is growing rapidly, and now is the time to go online with a catalogue or product offering.  It's not just about selling though.  Launch new service offerings and advertise your company online to heighten the profile of your business.

"We had a web site before and it did nothing for us, we don't want to waste any more money, the internet is just hype!"
Yes the internet is hyped, and as in any other industry some companies don't come up to scratch. You may have used them before or purchased a DIY site offer. Your site may have been too slow or not aggressively marketed. Whatever the reason, you built it and no-one came.  Like all business methods it has to be implemented correctly by professionals who understand both the technology and the business method.

"Large companies can afford to pour large amounts of money into a web site, we can't do that."
No you can't but the internet is a business platform from which smaller companies can compete with the bigger players on the same level. They have more money to spend but smaller companies have the advantage of being able to react quickly and get the edge on larger businesses.

"We can't afford to have a web site designed and built."
Some companies do try to charge a lot for a site, and then add extra costs for hosting and marketing services. Talk to a professional design and build company who are aware of the issues you face. You will find the costs can be very reasonable and even allow you to build your site in affordable stages as your requirements evolve.

SO, WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF OWNING A WEB SITE?

> Networking. The internet allows you to tell thousands of people about what you do and how they can reach you 24 hours a day.
> Making Business Information Available. Think about your basic business information, where you are and what you do. If you keep clients informed of every reason why they should do business with you, you will do more business.
> Customer Service. Making business information accessible at any time is an important way of serving your customers. Your staff won't be tied up on the phone taking down information and your customers will be impressed with your service.
> Heighten Interest. By keeping your site well groomed and up to date, potential customers will return and eventually become actual customers.
> Release Time Sensitive Material. Do you have news articles, new products or services you want released at a specific time? On the web this information can be made available at any time you choose complete with related material such as images and specification sheets.
> Answer Your Customers FAQ's. Do you seem to answer the same questions from clients time after time? These are the questions prospective customers want answers to before dealing with you. Add them to your web site and remove another barrier to them doing business with you.
> Stay In Touch With Sales People. Whilst on the road your sales people may need up to date information to help them complete a deal or answer a customer's question. This information can be posted on a secure section of your web site for use when required.
> 24 Hour Service. Web pages serve the client and your business 24 hours a day, so while you aren't at work your web site is.
> Open International Markets. If you want to move into international trading or have a particular client or supplier abroad the web is an efficient way of swapping and transferring information.
> Make Changing Information Available. Often information changes before it comes off the press. Electronic publishing can be amended immediately without time and materials being wasted.
> Feedback From Customers. Very large companies can afford to remarket a campaign which brings no results. Using the internet you can get almost instantaneous feedback on your choice of issues without the costs and poor response rates of business reply mail.
> Test New Products And Services. The cost of rolling out a new product or service can be expensive. Internet users are the cheapest market to reach once your site is established - incorporate some feedback tools and you will know if your offering is of interest to clients.
> Reach Specialist Markets. You may think that the internet is not a good place to sell a specialised product or service. Not true; even the most narrowly defined interest group will be represented. When searching the web this group will be able to find you, or your competitors.
> Decrease Costs. Information that is shared through a web site does not cost anything in postage, phone or fax calls. By calculating those areas where you have the largest expense and using the internet to enhance and streamline your processes your company could save money.

The latest available figures from the Office of National Statistics show that Fifty nine per cent of UK businesses had access to the Internet in 2002 compared with 51 per cent the previous year.  This figure is set to rise with early adopters of the internet gaining considerable advantages over those not adopting, who continue to lose customers and orders to their more pro-active competitors.

A good web site can be a real asset to your business in many ways.  For an informal chat about what you would like a Centred Dot web site to do for your business please call us at any time or use our contact form and we will get back to you.

For a free beginners guide to the internet please click here for a .pdf

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