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Businesses
Turn To Websites To Keep Customers Up-To-Date
By Michelle Roy
Expiry Corporation Staff Writer
September 2001
Knowledge
Seekers: Barely Used Vehicle 4 Sale. Used Only Few Times/Week.
Work and Pleasure Miles. Can Bring Wealth of Knowledge
and Easy Access/Parking at Shopping Malls! Visit the
WWW for more info. Hook-up fee may apply.
Money
may make the world go round, but Knowledge is the Vehicle
of the Information Superhighway!
People are often under the impression that if they have
nothing to sell online they have no reason for a website.
Not true! Websites are not the be-all end-all for making
money fast (think dot.com crash of 2000).
Of course people are buying online (according
to Nielsen//NetRatings and Harris Interactive, nearly half
of the US adults have made a purchase online), but many Internet
users are using the “World Wide Web” as a research tool before
they make their offline purchases. Some shoppers are
either not yet confident enough to make an online purchase
or simply enjoy offline shopping. Studies show that
preliminary research and comparison-shopping on the Net significantly
affect offline purchases. In fact, more than 68 percent
of online shoppers said that they have researched products
online and then made their purchases at a Brick & Mortar
store (Jupiter Communications).
The
Internet is also becoming regarded as a tool for information
gatherers in general. Medical research; books, movie
and music reviews; company bios; and other types of information
can all be found online. In fact, an AC Nielson eRatings.com
and NetRatings study shows that search engines, news and information
portals and online communities garner the largest amounts
of web traffic.
The Internet can provide your business with a new window to
market your products and services. It can also provide
your offline business with:
• A less-expensive way to market your offline products/services
• A less-expensive way to keep in touch with clients/customers
• An innovative method to continue Branding Your Image
• A way to provide valuable information on services and products
· A way to build customer loyalty
The Internet is the fastest growing marketing and communications
medium. It can help your business expand its reach.
Not to mention, the people visiting your website have already
been targeted (be it from search engines, click-through banner
ads, or your off and online branding efforts). Your
website will help you access a larger audience than what your
brick & mortar business can. According to Nielsen
Net Ratings, the average American spends about 30 minutes
6 times a week web surfing. That’s more time than they
spend at a shopping mall, a library, or a bookstore!
US
businesses are quickly starting to realize that if they do
not register a domain name and build a website (informative
or otherwise) that they will be left behind in the information
age. Businesses are using websites for:
• Slashing Costs – Customers that would normally be
in the habit to phone (toll-free of course) for information
can be trained to use your website to find what they are looking
for before they pick up the telephone.
You can update your website in real time! Whenever any
product, pricing, services or other information changes you
can update your website that second. With brochures
and fliers you would have to go to press for new ones, making
the old ones obsolete. You can now use your brochures,
fliers, business cards and letterhead to give people the basics
about your business and bring them to your website for more
definitive information.
•Internal Use– Password protect a section of your website
for staff access only. Post policy manuals, memos, reports
etc. that can be changed instantly without having to re-photocopy.
Businesses
are using their website to provide valuable information and
products to their customers. However, if the words “sell”
and “money” are embedded in your vocabulary then you need
to keep in mind that INFORMATION is the biggest product online.
If you can provide information on anything, then you should
do it on a website!
If your business would like to use this article in syndication
please contact mroy@expiry.com
Copyright
2000 - 2003 Expiry Corporation.
Permission required to use any content.
Email webmaster@expiry.com
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