The Advantages of An Online Presence
 by: Nick Roy

You may ask yourself, why do I need a website … I already have a good customer brochure or a good book of photos. With an internet site, your product or service is accessible globally, to prospective customers 24 hours, 365 days a year. For a model, your customers are the photographers, casting agents, magazine editors.

More and more people these days are using the internet as a first post of call because of its convenience and to save time. Customers and the general public almost expect that a company has a web site. If people want information on a product or service, they are now saying, “I think they have a website, I’ll check that out first.”

If a customer asks me for a brochure, I refer them to my web site. If the prospective customer insists on a brochure, then they are not worth pursuing. So for a model, if a photographer asks to see some photos of you, then you refer them to your web site. If they insist on seeing a physical book then that photographer is not worth pursuing.

Websites are quicker, easier and more cost-effective to update than print based media; therefore, you can have pictures, details and prices of your products, the very latest company information, or maps indicating the location of your company’s outlets on your web-site. A website can play an integral part of your promotional and marketing strategy. It also makes a powerful statement about your business, showing that you have planned for the future by securing your on-line presence today.

10 Advantages of having a website are:

1. Publicize your business, service or products to millions of potential customers. Having a website can increase your sales by making it easier for people to do business with you.

2. You can update your website with your latest news or prices much easier and cheaper than print based media. A website can save you a lot of money in communication and administration costs.

3. You can link your website with other advertising campaigns therefore creating brand awareness.

4. Your business can advertise and publicize on the internet 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.

5. Your business now has an extra outlet for taking orders, streamlining business processes.

6. Websites are easier and cheaper to change / update, than conventional print based media.

7. Websites make it easier for customers to do business with you. These customers can be nationwide or local.

8. You can compete with other companies in your market area.

9. You can now place your website address on your business card to enhance your image.

10. You can use your website to network with other companies and build better business relationships, locally and around the world.

Imagine the scenario whereby customers ring you requesting information on a product or service - there’s only so much you can do via telephone and delivering brochures via postal services takes time. It would be great to say, “If you take a look at our web-site, I’m sure you’ll find what you need there.” You would be surprised how many extra sales you could have by developing an on-line brochure or virtual store. Having an internet site also speeds up the time taken to react to customer queries, which can be done via e-mail.

An effective web site is a collection of applications. Applications meant to streamline your business processes. Examples of such applications include: online banking, online shopping, applying for a job, taking courses online. The possibilities are limited by your imagination.

The internet is here to stay so why not act now and make use of this powerful marketing tool.

If your company does not have an internet site, the only people benefiting is your competitor - who does have one!

Get your website up and running quickly and affordably with a low cost website template. For example, you can go to The Website Store (http://websitestore.nickroy.com), and get a low cost website template that is fully customizable to suit your needs. You can choose your design, and then you customize it yourself by adding your content.

There is nothing wrong with using a template to get your website up and running. With a template, all the graphics and HTML tables are done for you, so it will speed up the process of getting online as well as save yourself lots of money.

About The Author

Nick Roy is the Owner and Editor of The HR Blog. He currently holds a Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts in Human Resources Management from Hawaii Pacific University, and a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from Florida Metropolitan University, Fort Lauderdale. He can be reached at [email protected].