• What are some reasons for getting a web site?
• Below are a ton of reasons, have a read and you will be convinced it is time to get yours!

1. To Establish A Presence

Millions of people worldwide have access to the World Wide Web (WWW). No matter what your business is, you can't ignore the people who access the internet each and every day. To be a part of that community and show that you are interested in serving them, you need to be on the Web.

2. To Network

A lot of what passes for business is simply nothing more than making connections with other people. Every smart business person knows, it's not what you know, it's who you know. Passing out your business card is part of every good meeting and every business person can tell more than one story how a chance meeting turned into the big deal. Well, what if you could pass out your business card 24 hours a day to thousands, maybe millions of potential clients and partners? By having a Web Site that says 'this is what I do and if you are in need of my services, this is how you can reach me', you can effecively accomlish this task at hand.

3. To Make Business Information Available

What is basic business information? Think for a minute of a Yellow Pages ad. It may contain information such as the nature of your business, your location, hours of operation, contact info, and, perhaps methods of payment. Now think of a Yellow Pages ad which is interactive and can deliver instant communication. What is today's special? how about the current rate or exchange? Or next week's clear-out sale information? If you could keep your customer informed of every reason why they should do business with you, don't you think you could do more business? With an Internet presence you can!

4. To Serve Your Customers

Making business information available is one of the most important ways to serve your customers. But if you look at serving customers, you'll find even more ways to utilize the Internet. How about making interactive forms for ordering product(s)? Or have your staff do a search on a database for that certain piece of equipment your customer is looking for, without tying up your staff on the phone to take down the information? You can even allow your customer to punch in details and check it against a database that tells him what color and size of jacket is available in your store? With a little more interactivity within your Web Site, this can be done, simply and quickly!

5. To Sell Things

Many people think that selling things is the number one thing to do with a Web Site. Well, perhaps not...Why not? Well, the answer is complex but the best way to put it is like this: Do you consider the telephone the best place to sell things? Probably not. You probably consider the telephone a tool that allows you to communicate with your customer, which in turn helps you sell things. Well, that's how we think you should consider a Web Site. The technology is different, of course, but before people decide to become customers, they want to know about you, what you do and what you can do for them. By providing this information easily and inexpensively on the Internet, you might be able to turn them into customers.

6. To make pictures, sound and image files available

As the saying goes 'A picture is worth a thousand words'. Wouldn't your customers love it if they could see your Web Site in action? By including interactive multimedia to your Web Site, your customers will be able to utilize sound, pictures, and short movie files while visiting your Web Site. These files can also be made available for them to download. The Internet easily allows you to add multimedia files to your company's info if that will serve your potential customers. No brochure will do that.

7. To reach a highly desirable demographic market

The demographic of the Internet user is probably the highest mass-market demographic available. Usually, higher-educated or in the process of becomming higher-educated, making a high salary or soon to make a high salary are the demograph of today's Internet users. It's no wonder that Internet community based magazines, have no problem getting high-end marketer's advertising. Even with the addition of the commercial on-line community, the demographic will remain high for many years to come.

8. To Answer Frequently Asked questions (FAQ's)

Whoever answers the phones in your organization can tell you, their time is usually spent answering the same questions over and over again. These are the questions customers and potential customers want to know the answer to before they deal with you. By posting FAQ's on a Web page you will remove another barrier of doing business and free up some time for that phone operator.

9. To Open International Markets

You may not be able to make sense of the mail, phone, and regulation systems in all your potential international markets, but with a Web Site you can open up a dialogue with international markets as easily as with the company across the street. As a matter-of-fact, before you go onto the Web, you should decide how you want to handle the international business that will come your way, because your postings are certain to bring international opportunities your way, whether it is part of your plan or not. Another added benefit; if your company has offices overseas, they can access the home offices information for the price of a local phone call.

10. To Allow Feedback From Customers

You pass out the brochure, the catalog, the booklet. But it doesn't work. No sales, no calls, no leads. What went wrong? Wrong price, wrong color, wrong market? Keep testing, the marketing books say, and you'll eventually find out what went wrong. That's great for the those larger organizations who have 'deep pockets'. But who is paying the bills in your organization? You are! And you don't have the time nor the money to wait for the answer. With a Web Site, you can ask for feedback and get it instantaneously at no extra cost. An instant messaging service or an e-mail response can be built into a Web Site and can get the answer while its fresh in your customers mind, without the cost and lack of response of business reply mail.

11. To Test Market New Services and Products

Tied into the reason above, we all know the cost of rolling out a new product. Advertising, advertising, advertising, PR and advertising. Expensive, expensive, expensive. Once you have been on the Web and know what to expect from those who are seeing your Web Site, they are the least expensive market for you to reach. They will also let you know what they think of your product faster, easier and much less expensively than any other market you may reach. For the cost of a page or two of Web development, you can easily see where to position your product or service in the marketplace.

12. To Reach The Education and Youth Market

If your market is education, consider that most universities already offer Internet access to their students and a lot grade school pupils are already utilizing the Internet as part of their learning cirriculum. Books, athletic shoes, study courses, youth fashion and anything else that would want to reach these overlapping markets needs to be on the Web. Even with the coming of the commercial on-line services and their somewhat older populations there will be nothing but growth in the percentage of the under 25 market that will be on-line.

13. To Serve Your Local Market

We've talked about the power to serve the world with a Web Site. How about your neighborhood? No matter where you are located, there is probably enough local customers with an Internet connection to make it worth your while to consider Web marketing. One such growing trend is restaurants which not only post their 'daily specials' On-Line, but also take lunch orders through the Internet!