How a Website Can Help Your Small Business

by Sherry Pence

When many “brick & mortar” small business owners think about the internet and websites, they see it as advertising, just like a billboard or maybe even a television or radio commercial. Even though a website is a form of advertising it can be so much more. First and foremost a business website provides you the opportunity to inform and educate your clients about your products and your industry. When you take the time to honestly educate your clients they will naturally begin to see you as the expert that you are. That education leads to trust and lays the foundation for an ongoing relationship between you and your clients. That foundation will help your clients be able to shop with confidence knowing which products or services will best suit their needs.

We all know as business owners and consumers that a company’s customer service department can make or break the business. Providing excellent customer service or helpful client relations departments is crucial to maintaining your client’s confidence in your product and business. With a business website you are able to provide efficient and helpful customer service through a “frequently asked questions” section and “contact us” web pages. Nothing takes the place of personal help for problems, however as a small business owner you can free up some of your valuable time by addressing “frequently asked” client questions on your website. Also, many customers may want to discuss an issue or purchase with you but may not have the time available for an in-depth phone call. With a website you can have a contact form on your contact page for questions, comments and even testimonials. Your clients or prospects type their information: first name, email address and question or comment. Then they click submit and the information is sent directly to your email address. They never have to sign-in or out of their own email account, which will save them time resulting in increased feedback about your products or services. This feedback alone could be worth a fortune to your business, allowing you to better understand what prospects and clients are really in need of and how you can help them get it. Not only is the feedback great for helping you re-evaluate products, services or approaches, but it will allow you to gain client testimonials with ease.

Think back to your last big purchase. Were you referred by a friend or relative? Our human nature wants to know that we are not alone in our problems and struggles so naturally when we discover a business that has been successful in helping others with those same struggles, we are ready to listen. If that business has clients that are willing to boast about the service, products or company then we are even more likely to purchase from that business. Why? Because “so-and-so” said that they did a fantastic job, or the product was amazing and helped them tremendously. Those little blurbs of praise from satisfied customers can really turn a prospect into a client.

Not only can you use your website to educate and inform consumers about your services, products and industry, but you can provide on-going education through a weekly or monthly e-zine or newsletter. As the mother of a very “picky-eater” I struggled to find information on “How to Get my Child to Eat New Foods”, after searching I found an article many years ago that discussed a child’s need to be introduced to new foods several times before they will even try it. In fact the article recommended that you offer a new food 10-15 times before even expecting the child to eat it. Eventually, the youngster will consider it “o.k.” to consume. Well the same is true for adult consumers. We need to be familiar with a product or company before we will feel that it is safe to purchase. Most consumers need to be exposed to a product or business approximately 10-20 times before they will purchase from the company. Well unless you plan on calling folks, or stopping by to see them 10-20 times you have to find a better way. Many businesses will send flyers or sales letters which can be beneficial. However if you are a small business you will want the cheapest and most effective way of exposing your products. Almost every American consumer has access to a computer, either at home, work or even the public library. The result is that most consumers have an email address and would love to get informative updates on products or services that you offer, especially when there is a discount or promotional code in the email. For the best results in your business I would not dream of suggesting that you stop talking to customers by phone or in person, but you should consider the possibility of incorporating all four approaches to your business. Contact them in person, by phone, by mail and by email to create variety in the exposure of your business this will also provide a selling option for those customers that can not get to your “store-front” on a regular basis. It is important to understand that no one wants to open their email inbox to find 20 messages from a business. People do not want to be sold, they want to be informed. Educate them through your newsletter with genuinely helpful articles tips and resources and they will show their appreciation. Quantity is not the key! Quality is! With email newsletters it is best to use an email marketing company such as Aweber or Constant Contact to provide sign up forms and unsubscribe links, that way your clients have the choice to subscribe and unsubscribe in each email that they receive. This helps to keep you from being considered “SPAM”. These features are a requirement for any emails from businesses, so check into it before you send your first email.

Unless you are a non-profit organization, you are in business to make a profit. Let’s not kid ourselves, yes we want to help people and that should be our main concern, however if you are not making a profit then your ability to help others is strained. Having a business website can help provide another source of income for your business. Depending on your business type, you may be able to offer products directly from your website through an e-commerce section, or e-store. You do not have to offer every item you sell in your “brick & mortar” store-front, however you could make a considerable amount of money by offering a few products online. Let me give you an example. I had been talking with a small business owner not too long ago about monetizing his website. He already had a basic website developed and was happy with it. So I decided to check out his website. It was a nice site, good graphics and was simple to navigate, but I noticed that he was not offering any products online. So I did some research for him. I discovered that the website had gotten approximately 2,800 page views over the first six months it was published. That was good except he was not able to “do” anything with those clients that had viewed his website. So I took him the following information:

If only 12% of the 2,800 page views were individuals that wanted to purchase something online, and they purchased only $25.00 worth from your website each, then you would have made around $8400.00 in sales over that six month period! That is a nice chunk of change!

That business owner was missing out on possible income from his website, above what he was making from his store! Do not make the same mistake, no matter what you offer in your “brick and mortar” store-front there are ways to offer products online without “paying through the nose,”. Even if you only offer a service you can still make money through referrals to other companies, offering your own information products, or even offering company branded products such as t-shirts, mugs or something related to your service or industry. Do not miss out on your website income!

Your client’s confidence and trust is vital to your business. You can help to build that foundation by providing excellent customer service; honest resources about your products, services and industry; and by creating your own business “branding”. That “branding” is what will help clients and prospects recognize and choose your business over the competition. One of the easiest ways to accomplish these goals for less money than traditional advertising attempts is to create a business website and learn how to market online.

About the Author:
Sherry Pence is a wife, mother, educator and freelance writer. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Early to Middle Education. She is the owner of SSP Life Lessons and creator of http://www.womansguide.net. Her website offers free resources and articles for women on topics of weight-loss, small business, spiritual growth, and life as a Mommy.