Why You Should Have a Website for Your Business

At Chirp Media have been working on a lot of in-house projects, and some work for our small-to-medium sized business clients. It's been keeping us busy, but what sparked this topic was a discussion we had specifically regarding our in house projects.

We are working on a great mobile application that we hope to see launched in the next few weeks, and of course part of launching any new application (if you want it to succeed) is marketing. The question really came up surrounding a website, was do we want a standalone website for this app or just tie it into our website.

Now this got me thinking, and I'm one of those guys that believe its best to have things ties together or at least shared. I'm all about the D.R.Y. practice. D.R.Y. [in case you don't know is Don't Repeat Yourself.]

You are most likely asking yourself "what does this have to do with the topic?"; put simply, everything. There are many reasons why you as a business owner should have a website, and I'm talking about the more important aspects other than because our competitors have one.

Let me break it down for you…

Generate More Leads

Having a website means that more people can see your business on a larger scale. They can see what it is you do and more importantly, what problems you are solving for them. This means more potential business prospects.

Create an Online Presence

Having an online presence is key to keeping your business relevant. Many businesses look at this as an un-needed expense, and feel they are doing just fine the way they are running right now. That's great, but should your online presence exist, you now have the opportunity to secure business that your competition isn't getting. More importantly you're able to secure new business that you didn't even know existed.

Open the Door to New, Hard to Reach Markets

The Internet has done this wonderful thing, it provides people with access to virtually anything, anywhere and at any time. With a website your customers can find you anywhere, you don't have to just do business within the 100km proximity of your business anymore, you're open to the world*!

*standard cross province/state/country business regulations & taxes still apply

Increase the Credibility of your Business

Having a website is of course a great asset to your business, having a great website helps avoid your potential customers thinking you of a shady organization. Remember today’s millennials are on the rise of being the buyers and spenders. On average ~ 73% of their purchasing is done online, and via mobile device. If they can't find you online, then you simply don't exist.

 Modern Marketing is so much cheaper

At Chirp Media we are advocates of traditional branding and advertising, however modern online marketing is 200x cheaper than the traditional methods. Although you will see a larger up front cost, the ROI is a much shorter time frame, and is only a fraction of what you would pay for large print run advertising campaigns. The challenge however is finding the right Online Marketing Strategy that is perfect for you. Lucky for you, Chirp Media offers a in-depth discovery process with every project to help build the most effective strategy for your business. Get in touch now

Online Sales

If you sell products, you can sell it online. Using the great tools of the web for merchant payment services like PayPal and Stripe, you can quickly and securely collect payment and ship out your merchandise at a fraction of the overhead cost of a physical retail location.

24/7 Service

We always like to say that your website is your 24/7 sales representative. They're always there, they're always "working", and they don't cost as much. Don't think though that we believe in replacing an entire sales force with a website, that's just kooky.

Websites are Easier to Find

These days, our attention spans are much less than they used to be, and let's face it as we get[CW2]  older we don't retain as much "new" information. Word of mouth is a great method to networking your business, but if there is nothing for you to look up when you get home. Most time's it's just forgotten. Your business is losing potential customers with that model.

Potential Customers are Already Looking for You

I like to use the phrase "Just Google It", a lot and the internet is full of information. Most people perform a search on a company before any interactions or purchases. They want to know who they are, and if they can't find any material online with them, they don't tend to purchase anything from them.

Networking

Let's face it, word of mouth can still make or break your business. Chance encounters can lead to the most beneficial and profitable relationships that you have to date. Today not having a website eliminates any chance of this new person reading up on you and what you do. Undoubtedly it increases the odds of potential business slipping through your fingers.