You’ve heard it, and may have even been on both sides of the argument. “If everyone was jumping off a bridge, would you jump, too?”
Perhaps you don’t feel the need to follow the crowd and prefer marching to the beat of your own drum, but there may be at least one department where you should reconsider: your company’s online presence.
Follow the herd online. No matter which way you shake it, you need to be present on the web, as statistics show that 90 percent of all purchases begin online. Need more convincing? Here are the top ten reasons your business needs a website:
1. Did we mention 90 percent of purchases begin online? We’re not just talking retail, we’re talking product research, comparisons, and overall awareness.
2. It’s not about you – it’s about them. Customers bounce from site to site looking for something that catches their eye. Be there. Show them how you can make their life easier or better.
3. 78 percent of consumers trust the reviews and insights of other consumers they find online. Not only does social media allow shoppers to share experiences faster than in previous decades, it also gives companies an opportunity to respond to those experiences, provide customer service, and to listen to what’s being said.
4. If you can’t afford a website, you cannot afford not to have a website. We know running a business can require long hours, but it’s unlikely that you’re available 24 hours a day like a website is. Consider your site the most reliable employee your company has ever had.
5. People are looking for you. They’re sitting at desks, tables, couches, and they’re Google searching you. What happens when they do that, and nothing shows up?
6. Got trust? In this day and age if you don’t have a website, it can be somewhat suspicious.
7. Websites provide platforms for engagement. You can provide contact info, ordering capabilities, blogs, forums, discussion boards, chat features, and many other options.
8. Make it easier. While setting up a site can seem daunting, won’t it make everything about running your business more simple once it’s up and going?
9. A website allows you to call customers to action no matter what hour of the day they choose to shop or research and regardless of weekend, holiday, and employee vacation schedules.
10. Step out of your community. An online presence can help your company reach a global marketplace and the 1.7 billion (and growing) Internet users worldwide.
