A lot of brick & mortar companies still don’t have websites and they seem fine with that decision. But is it a good one? I don’t think so. In fact, I think any company without a website in their marketing plan is shooting itself in the foot. Here are all the things a website can do for your company:

Generate more leads
These days, the most common complaint I hear from growing companies is “we need more leads”. A website can help. Any site that has “can’t-find-it-anywhere-else” information attracts prospects, and if the site attracts enough of them, you’ll gain a following. From followings, leads are generated.

Qualify those leads
When surfers visit your site, you should always encourage them to take the next step. Whether this is purchasing one of your products, signing up for an online newsletter or filling out a survey, your visitors want to know what to do next. Provide them with several different ways to respond and your website will separate browsers from buyers.

Attract new visitors
Web surfers are not traditional bricks and mortar types. Most are comfortable stopping by, introducing themselves and even purchasing your products without ever meeting you face to face.

Stay open round-the-clock
We all know how disappointing it is to drive to a store only to find it closed. With a website in today’s market, any company can be open for its customers 24/7. Even though your employees are sleeping when an inquiry comes in at 2 a.m., your customers appreciate that you were open when it was most convenient for them.

Increase media access to your company
A good website offers a press room so media editors and reporters can help themselves to the information they need. You’ll find that there’s a direct correlation between how accessible your website is to the media and the number of media contacts your company gets.

Self-serve service
The Post Office now offers an online service called Delivery Confirmation. After paying an additional 40 cents at the postal counter, you can track online where your package is in the mail system. What was once an overhead service for the Post Office is now a self-service function for its customers (and a new source of revenue). What if your company could transfer service functions to its website like obtaining owners manuals, tracking shipments or answering frequently asked questions?

Load sales tools onto your site
One of my clients loads their latest PowerPoint presentations onto their website. That way, a sales rep in Boston can give a presentation to a prospect in Wyoming without either of them leaving their offices. Think of the travel savings if you adopted this approach.

Author Bio

Jay Lipe, aka the “Plan Man”, is the CEO of Emerge Marketing; a firm that helps growing companies improve their marketing. He is the author of the book The Marketing Toolkit for Growing Businesses (Chammerson Press) which is available at major bookstores and online at www.amazon.com. He is also a sought after speaker and seminar leader, and can be reached at (612) 824-4833 or lipe@emergemarketing.com .