When Charles Darwin gave the world the theory of ” survival of the fittest” he probably was not aware that it would hold true for a very very long time in this ever so changing world and today in the era where internet has become a necessity of life and using digital media a way of life, the theory still fits!

If you need your business (even a small one) to survive and flourish in these times of cut throat competition, you need to go online and get a website for it. That will put you on the rack of “fittest”. Having a website will push your profit margins and the potential of your business to extents you surely do want to achieve.

refer to any sorts of statistics and you will realize that more and more people are turning towards the internet to research and to shop, for anything at all. You have to agree, it is convenient to sit in the comforts of your home and choose what you need from an umpteen number of products available. Just pay and it will be at your door step! How is anybody suppose to resist that? That is the wonder of online world and if you have a website for your business, you are sure to reap benefits of this wonder, some of which are:

(1) Let the World know you are there!

Even if your business is a local one, you can reach a potential customer sitting right across the globe or in the city itself. He can learn a lot about your business from you website like:

• What do you sell
• what are your specialties
• where are you located
• who else uses your product and approves of it
• why to chose you
• How to reach you for further enquiries or your email

That sets the pace! If the person on that side of the monitor likes what he reads about, he is sure to enquire and can be converted in to a potential customer. Just like that he reach of your business goes beyond geographical boundaries and the world knows about your business!

(2) It strengthens your marketing tools arsenal!

If you are running a business you definitely have been advertising in some form be print media or TV or radio. You are aware of the costs involved and the efficiency of these tools. How about an advertisement that runs 24X7 and tells everything about your business in a such a cool fashion that it surely impresses the customers’ mind. It has audio clips & videos that express the sentiment of your products and deliver a feel of your business. That is what a website does precisely for you. It is your websites ad and literature which can be modified any time and speaks volumes. And for free!

(3) Educate and impress your customers!

Today, the customer is smart and wants to make informed decisions about where to put in his money. Also everybody wants to deal with a pro who knows what he is doing. By having your own website, you can tell the curious customer all about your product and everything related to it in a very well designed manner and help them with their research. In this way, you clearly convey that you know exactly what you are doing and you are good at it! The first impression is crucial and with a professionally designed website, you can never go wrong on that front.

(4) Develop Customer’s trust in your brand!

It is always easier to trust a product if you have a background or a name related to it. You can further strengthen your customers’ trust in your product by having a website about it which gives data, names, geographical locations and probably pictures of real people who run the business. It not only enhances the authenticity and credibility of your business but also attracts new ones and helps you to build your brand.

(5) Use the power of Referrals!

A referral simply means that if someone likes your product and is ready to suggest it to others with a positive feedback then he can do so by sharing the link of your website on a social media platform or on their own website. This is a very powerful method of sending the good word around about your business. An increased number of referrals will indicate increased popularity for your business.

No doubt, going online will be a brilliant idea for scripting the success story of your business.

Marketing your small business website online

Now that you have created a website, you need to market it in the right way to maximize its popularity and to benefit from it. Here are some tips for doing the same:

• Always try and get your website listed in the local online directories. Also, if you belong to any trade organization, get yourself listed on their website too.
• Tap the potential of social media. Create your pages on websites like facebook, twitter, Google+ and so on.
• The content of your website is what will draw customers to it and will make them come back. It has to be very impressive and informative. Also this will help you to get noticed by search engines. Keep it simple and relevant and keep updating it.
• You can even consider having your own online newsletter.
• The design of the website should be appealing, what looks good will sell good!

With all this you will be able to squeeze out maximum benefits from your website.

Cost Effective marketing

You might be on a shoe string budget for your website marketing. No worries. Here are some tips for online marketing without burning a huge hole in your pocket:

• Put something catchy on your website. It could be a line, a video , a post; anything that will catch the attention of the targeted customers and they will feel like sharing it with others. This will automatically mean, your web address is being shared!
• You can offer deals and discount coupons on your website. This is sure to attract attention.
• There are a plenty of free marketing tools available which can help with content management. Use them to plan and create a good website.
• Write quality blog posts to make people aware of your business, achievements, awards, new schemes, any event anything at all related to your business.

Conclusion

By now it is clear that having a website is an essential part of the growth of a small business. So go ahead and go online. Experience the Midas touch of world wide web and reap benefits!