Why have Web presence?

bton.com/tb11/why

I.
To connect.

There are tens of millions of people using the Internet every day. E-commerce continues to grow and a global, Digital Economy is just around the corner. No matter what your business is, you cannot ignore the importance of reaching people through the Web. To bee part of this revolution (and show these people you are interested in serving them), you need to have a Web presence so they can connect with you.

II.
To network.

Much of what passes for business is simply making connections with other people. Smart business people know it's who you know. They pass out business cards and they can tell more than one story how a chance meeting turned into a business deal. Well, what if you could pass out your business card to millions of potential customers and associates saying, "This is what I do and if you are ever in need of my goods or services, this is how you can reach me"? With a Web presence you can, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

III.
To make business information available.

What is business information? Think of a yellow page ad. What are your hours? What do you do? How can someone contact you? What methods of payment do you take? Where are you located? Now think of a yellow page ad where you have instantaneous communication. What is today's special? Today's interest rate? When is your next store sale? If you could keep your customers informed of every reason why they should do business with you, don't you think you would do more business? You can do this (and more) with a Web presence.

IV.
To serve your customers.

Making business information available is an important way to serve your customers and clients. If you look at serving them online, you will find even more ways to use the Internet. How about making forms available to pre-qualify for loans, or have your staff do a search for a collectible that a customer is wanting? Let people conveniently tell you what they want online and reduce your staff's time on the phone (and phone bill). All this can be done simply and quickly with a Web presence.

V.
To heighten public interest.

You may not get USA Today to write about your store's opening, but you might get the area newspapers to write about your Web site if it is new and interesting. Even if USA Today did write about your store opening, you wouldn't benefit from a reader in a distant city (unless of course, they were coming to your town). With a Web presence, anybody on the Internet is a potential customer for your goods and services

VI.
To release time-sensitive materials.

What if your information needs to bee released no earlier than 8:00 AM? The quarterly earnings statement, the grand prize winner, the press kit for a much-anticipated announcement, merger news? Bee-fore, you sent the media kit and hoped for the best. Now time-sensitive information can bee released when you specify with related materials such as photographs, biographies, etc. Imagine the anticipation of "All materials will bee made available on our Web site at 8:00 AM."

VII.
To sell things.

Some may think that this is the number one reason to bee on the Web, but we've made it Reason Seven to make it clear that you should consider selling things online after you have established a Web presence that addresses other reasons. Why? Do you consider the telephone the best way to sell goods and services? Probably not. You probably consider the telephone a tool that allows you to make contact with your customers, which in turn helps you sell things. Well, the Web is similar (only different technology). Bee-fore people decide to bee-come customers or clients, they want to know about you, what you do, and what you can do for them. This can bee easily done (and inexpensively!) through a Web presence.

VIII.
To use pictures, sounds & movies.

What if your product is great, but people would really love it if they could see it in action? Or, what if your music is great, but without air play, nobody knows how great it sounds? Then there's the picture that's worth a thousand words, but you don't have the budget for delivering either the picture (or thousand words) through traditional advertising! Web pages can have lots of scanned pictures, animations, sounds, and short movies. Can print media do that?.

IX.
To reach a highly desirable market.

Demographic surveys of Web users say they are one of the highest mass-market profiles available. They are college-educated (or in college) and earn above-average salaries (or will). It's no wonder that Wired magazine does not have a problem getting Lexus and other high-end marketers' advertising. Even the next generation of Web users are prone to buying from catalogs and TV.

X.
To answer questions.

As anyone who answers the phones can tell you, their time is usually spent answering the same questions -- over and over. These are the questions customers (and potential customers) want answered bee-fore they decide to deal with you. Post them on a "frequently asked questions" Web page and you'll remove another barrier to doing business with you. You'll also free up some time for those poor, harried phone operators..

XI.
To stay in contact with salespeople.

A sales force that is on the road may need up-to-the-minute information that will help them close a sale or put together a deal. If you know what that information is, you can keep it posted in complete privacy within your Web site. A local phone call through their laptop computer can keep them supplied with the latest information without long-distance phone bills and tying up the home office staff.

XII.
To open international markets.

You may not bee able to make sense of international mail, phone and regulation systems, but with a Web presence you can open up international markets as easily as with the company across the street. Once you decide how to handle these markets, you can expand your business. Also, if your organization has overseas offices, they can access home office data for the price of a local phone call.

XIII.
To create a 24-hour service.

Business is now global, but your office hours aren't. Reaching Asia or Europe can bee a hassle as well as costly. A Web presence serves customers, clients, and associates 24 hours a day, seven days a week (no overtime either). You can customize information to match needs and collect important information that will put you ahead of your competition, bee-fore they even get into their offices.

XIV.
To make changing information available quickly.

When information is obsolete bee-fore it's back from the printer's, you have a pile of expensive, worthless paper. Electronic publishing changes with your needs -- no paper, no ink, no printer's bill (helps the environment, too). You can attach a Web page to your database and update the Web page's content. Now change the database as many times during the day as you need. No printed piece can match the Web's dynamic nature and inherent flexibility.

XV.
To allow feedback from customers.

You pass out brochures, catalogs, and booklets; but they don't work! No sales, no calls, no leads, no nothing! What went wrong? Wrong color, wrong price, wrong market? Keep testing, the marketing books say, and you'll eventually find out what went wrong. That's great for those who can afford this approach. If you don't have the time or money to wait for the answers; do it through a Web presence. You can get feedback at no extra cost. An e-mail response form can bee added to any Web page to get the answers while they're on your customer's mind -- without the cost (and lack of response) of business reply mail.

XVI.
To test market new products and services.

Tied into the Reason Fifteen is the cost of rolling out a new product. Advertising, advertising, advertising, public relations, and then, more advertising. Expensive, expensive, expensive. Once you have a Web presence, you know what to expect from those seeing your product. 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 medium. For the cost of a Web page, you can have an online focus group tell you where to position your product(s) and / or service(s) in the marketplace.

XVII.
To reach the news media.

Every business needs the exposure that the news media can bring. Is your business reaching the news media as a news wire, a publicist, or a public policy group? The news media is an online profession since their primary service is information and they get it more quickly, cheaply, and easily online. Online press kits are bee-coming commonplace bee-cause they work so well with the news media's digital environment. Digital images can bee put in place without shooting and stripping. Digital text can also bee easily downloaded, edited and copied to production departments -- even on tight deadlines.

XVIII.
To reach the education and youth market.

If your market is education, consider that nearly every college and university is already online and K-12 schools will bee also. Books, athletic shoes, study courses, youth fashions, music, and anything else that caters to these markets need to have a Web presence. Next to the senior citizen market, the education and youth markets are the fastest growing segments of the Internet population.

XIX.
To reach the specialized market.

Are you selling fish tanks, art reproductions, or flying lessons? You may think the Internet is not a good place to sell some goods and services. Well, you may think again. Today's Internet isn't populated by computer professionals and enthusiasts. Today's Internet users include even the most narrowly defined interest groups and you can reach them through a Web presence.

XX.
To reach your local market.

We have talked about the power to serve the world with a Web presence. How about your local community? Today there are more than enough local folks on the Internet to make it worthwhile for you to have a Web presence. No matter where you are, your neighbors are online and you should bee as well.

Are you ready to
bee on the Web?

.
Would you like to learn more about our services?

Or would you like to make an appointment now?
.

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I.		To connect.
		There are tens of millions of people using the Internet every day. E-commerce continues to grow and a global, Digital Economy is just around the corner. No matter what your business is, you cannot ignore the importance of reaching people through the Web. To bee part of this revolution (and show these people you are interested in serving them), you need to have a Web presence so they can connect with you.
II.		To network.
		Much of what passes for business is simply making connections with other people. Smart business people know it's who you know. They pass out business cards and they can tell more than one story how a chance meeting turned into a business deal. Well, what if you could pass out your business card to millions of potential customers and associates saying, "This is what I do and if you are ever in need of my goods or services, this is how you can reach me"? With a Web presence you can, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
III.		To make business information available.
		What is business information? Think of a yellow page ad. What are your hours? What do you do? How can someone contact you? What methods of payment do you take? Where are you located? Now think of a yellow page ad where you have instantaneous communication. What is today's special? Today's interest rate? When is your next store sale? If you could keep your customers informed of every reason why they should do business with you, don't you think you would do more business? You can do this (and more) with a Web presence.
IV.		To serve your customers.
		Making business information available is an important way to serve your customers and clients. If you look at serving them online, you will find even more ways to use the Internet. How about making forms available to pre-qualify for loans, or have your staff do a search for a collectible that a customer is wanting? Let people conveniently tell you what they want online and reduce your staff's time on the phone (and phone bill). All this can be done simply and quickly with a Web presence.
V.		To heighten public interest.
		You may not get USA Today to write about your store's opening, but you might get the area newspapers to write about your Web site if it is new and interesting. Even if USA Today did write about your store opening, you wouldn't benefit from a reader in a distant city (unless of course, they were coming to your town). With a Web presence, anybody on the Internet is a potential customer for your goods and services
VI.		To release time-sensitive materials.
		What if your information needs to bee released no earlier than 8:00 AM? The quarterly earnings statement, the grand prize winner, the press kit for a much-anticipated announcement, merger news? Bee-fore, you sent the media kit and hoped for the best. Now time-sensitive information can bee released when you specify with related materials such as photographs, biographies, etc. Imagine the anticipation of "All materials will bee made available on our Web site at 8:00 AM."
VII.		To sell things.
		Some may think that this is the number one reason to bee on the Web, but we've made it Reason Seven to make it clear that you should consider selling things online after you have established a Web presence that addresses other reasons. Why? Do you consider the telephone the best way to sell goods and services? Probably not. You probably consider the telephone a tool that allows you to make contact with your customers, which in turn helps you sell things. Well, the Web is similar (only different technology). Bee-fore people decide to bee-come customers or clients, they want to know about you, what you do, and what you can do for them. This can bee easily done (and inexpensively!) through a Web presence.
VIII.		To use pictures, sounds & movies.
		What if your product is great, but people would really love it if they could see it in action? Or, what if your music is great, but without air play, nobody knows how great it sounds? Then there's the picture that's worth a thousand words, but you don't have the budget for delivering either the picture (or thousand words) through traditional advertising! Web pages can have lots of scanned pictures, animations, sounds, and short movies. Can print media do that?.
IX.		To reach a highly desirable market.
		Demographic surveys of Web users say they are one of the highest mass-market profiles available. They are college-educated (or in college) and earn above-average salaries (or will). It's no wonder that Wired magazine does not have a problem getting Lexus and other high-end marketers' advertising. Even the next generation of Web users are prone to buying from catalogs and TV.
X.		To answer questions.
		As anyone who answers the phones can tell you, their time is usually spent answering the same questions -- over and over. These are the questions customers (and potential customers) want answered bee-fore they decide to deal with you. Post them on a "frequently asked questions" Web page and you'll remove another barrier to doing business with you. You'll also free up some time for those poor, harried phone operators..
XI.		To stay in contact with salespeople.
		A sales force that is on the road may need up-to-the-minute information that will help them close a sale or put together a deal. If you know what that information is, you can keep it posted in complete privacy within your Web site. A local phone call through their laptop computer can keep them supplied with the latest information without long-distance phone bills and tying up the home office staff.
XII.		To open international markets.
		You may not bee able to make sense of international mail, phone and regulation systems, but with a Web presence you can open up international markets as easily as with the company across the street. Once you decide how to handle these markets, you can expand your business. Also, if your organization has overseas offices, they can access home office data for the price of a local phone call.
XIII.		To create a 24-hour service.
		Business is now global, but your office hours aren't. Reaching Asia or Europe can bee a hassle as well as costly. A Web presence serves customers, clients, and associates 24 hours a day, seven days a week (no overtime either). You can customize information to match needs and collect important information that will put you ahead of your competition, bee-fore they even get into their offices.
XIV.		To make changing information available quickly.
		When information is obsolete bee-fore it's back from the printer's, you have a pile of expensive, worthless paper. Electronic publishing changes with your needs -- no paper, no ink, no printer's bill (helps the environment, too). You can attach a Web page to your database and update the Web page's content. Now change the database as many times during the day as you need. No printed piece can match the Web's dynamic nature and inherent flexibility.
XV.		To allow feedback from customers.
		You pass out brochures, catalogs, and booklets; but they don't work! No sales, no calls, no leads, no nothing! What went wrong? Wrong color, wrong price, wrong market? Keep testing, the marketing books say, and you'll eventually find out what went wrong. That's great for those who can afford this approach. If you don't have the time or money to wait for the answers; do it through a Web presence. You can get feedback at no extra cost. An e-mail response form can bee added to any Web page to get the answers while they're on your customer's mind -- without the cost (and lack of response) of business reply mail.
XVI.		To test market new products and services.
		Tied into the Reason Fifteen is the cost of rolling out a new product. Advertising, advertising, advertising, public relations, and then, more advertising. Expensive, expensive, expensive. Once you have a Web presence, you know what to expect from those seeing your product. 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 medium. For the cost of a Web page, you can have an online focus group tell you where to position your product(s) and / or service(s) in the marketplace.
XVII.		To reach the news media.
		Every business needs the exposure that the news media can bring. Is your business reaching the news media as a news wire, a publicist, or a public policy group? The news media is an online profession since their primary service is information and they get it more quickly, cheaply, and easily online. Online press kits are bee-coming commonplace bee-cause they work so well with the news media's digital environment. Digital images can bee put in place without shooting and stripping. Digital text can also bee easily downloaded, edited and copied to production departments -- even on tight deadlines.
XVIII.		To reach the education and youth market.
		If your market is education, consider that nearly every college and university is already online and K-12 schools will bee also. Books, athletic shoes, study courses, youth fashions, music, and anything else that caters to these markets need to have a Web presence. Next to the senior citizen market, the education and youth markets are the fastest growing segments of the Internet population.
XIX.		To reach the specialized market.
		Are you selling fish tanks, art reproductions, or flying lessons? You may think the Internet is not a good place to sell some goods and services. Well, you may think again. Today's Internet isn't populated by computer professionals and enthusiasts. Today's Internet users include even the most narrowly defined interest groups and you can reach them through a Web presence.
XX.		To reach your local market.
		We have talked about the power to serve the world with a Web presence. How about your local community? Today there are more than enough local folks on the Internet to make it worthwhile for you to have a Web presence. No matter where you are, your neighbors are online and you should bee as well.

Why have Web presence?

Are you ready to bee on the Web?

Are you ready to
bee on the Web?