We’ve had enquiries from all sorts of organisations keen to respond to the shift in their customers’ needs during this time of pandemic by providing their services via a website. But the benefits of going online will last beyond the present situation. So rather than seeing a move to online business as an emergency response, it’s worth finding out more about the long-term benefits of having a web presence.
You get a bigger share of the market when you go online
While your physical shop might be mostly used by (for example) people within a fifty-mile radius, your online shop could be open to people all over the country, or even all over the world. Taking a larger share of the market could allow you to grow your business in a way that keeps it sustainable. A website could also help you attract more customers who align better with your business plan – whether it’s big spenders looking for high quality goods; or people who buy little and often.
Learn more about your customers with your website
When you sell online you can collect all kinds of data about your customers. You can find out where they come from; what device they are using to access your website, and when they are visiting you.
You can accurately measure response rates to different types of advertising, too, so you know what works and what doesn’t. If you offer a knowledge base on your website you can see what pages potential customers are looking at – and this can guide decisions about your products and services.
It’s also much easier to get meaningful feedback from online customers, and again, you can use this to inform your business decisions.
Promoting your business online is really easy
Once you’ve collected data about your customers, you can use it to attract more of the same sort of people through targeted digital advertising.
You can also use online business directories to greater effect if you’ve got a website. And you can do even more to harness the power of social media, too.
Reduce admin costs with a website
A website can take on some basic admin tasks, like providing information, or making bookings.
It can also help you to filter enquiries so that you get only good quality leads, and it can help you ‘train’ potential leads, so that by the time you speak to them, they can tell you what their pain is; and they have a rough idea of how you can help them.
Or they may even be able to navigate the entire process without any human intervention, saving you time, effort and money.
Serve your customers better online
A website allows you to do business 24/7 -- which means that you can help customers when it is convenient for them.
An online or automated service may in some cases be more accessible than a face-to-face service, too. The needs of a diverse client base can be built into a website. Indeed, accessibility is one of the foundation principles of good web design.
How do I get my business online, then?
Learn more about the steps you need to take to get your business online with Google Digital Garage’s free course.
Then it's time to give a web developer – Eonic, for example – a call. As a one-stop shop for web design in Kent, we can help with everything from domain names to branding to content to digital advertising. Call us on 01892 534044 or use our contact form to get in touch.