Using The Internet as an Effective Sales Tool

There is no better or less expensive way to advertise your business than on the World Wide Web. Web pages make your business company or organization easily accessible to virtually anyone.

Your website allows potential customers the ability to easily get information on your company and it’s products and/or services. Through the appearance and content of your website these potential customers can form opinions on the size, longevity sincerity and standards of your company. Your first impression is very important.

To existing customers, your website should be a tool that provides information about your company quickly and easily. More often it is becoming easier to look up a business’ phone number or address by visiting its web site rather than look through the phone book. Your website gives your company a face to out of town customers and reminds your in town customers who you are and what you stand for.

Your website can be a top sales tool when promoted and used correctly. For potential and new customers it is the perfect non-intrusive introduction point for your business. Customers know they can visit your site and get the information they need without running the risk of talking to pushy salesmen or wasting their time.

With regular updates your website is a good way to alert customers of new products, promotions or events. This can be done by updating the site to promote these items or by incorporating an opt-in or opt-out newsletter system to stand-alone or accompany updates to the website.

Search Engine and Directory Submissions

Internet Search Engines offer the greatest potential for traffic referrals on the Internet today. The trick is to get your site at the top of the list for queries your potential customers will be making. Considering the shear volume of websites indexed by search engines everyday, this is not an easy task. It requires an in depth understanding of how search engines work and how to optimize your web pages to get the best results from your submission as well as the determination to perform these tasks on a regular basis.

Industry Related Links

For almost every industry there are websites that have listings of other companies in the industry. Chances are you already know of and have used some for your industry in the past. It’s hard to judge the amount of traffic you’ll receive from these links, but they can usually be added easily and for no cost.

Stationary

On your next run of business cards, letterheads and even invoices make sure your website address is included. Include it in the signature of you emails, so it is listed at the bottom of every email you send out. On any printed materials (brochures, white papers, lit sheets or catalogues) direct the reader to the website for more information. Consider changing or adding to signage on your building and vehicles so your website address can be read clearly. Some of these may seem pretty obvious, but all are worth considering for driving more traffic to your website.

Official Website Launch

When going live with a new website it may be possible to get an article in a local business paper or, if you have a strong angle, even in your local daily. Even if you cannot get an article in print, it is reasonable to send mail or email to your current client base with a release about the new website and its features and benefits.

Word of Mouth

Word of mouth will happen on it’s own when surfers visit your site and are impressed by the quality of the content, design or any other aspect.

Keep Traffic

As soon as a web user enters your site it is essential to make it clear what the purpose of the site is and show what kind of beneficial information is inside. This can be accomplished by displaying a few feature sections of the site in a headline, description, or link to section format.

Keep Your Information Current

Keep your information current. Web users often encounter sites that have not been touched for years and, subsequently are of no use to them. Websites that have dated documents or news articles can quickly start to appear dormant without regular updates. Having a press section with favourable articles about your company can be advantageous in gaining the trust of the web user viewing the site, but without regularly scheduled updates content like this can prove to be damaging to traffic levels. If news articles can be predicted to be few and far between, a regular news section should be avoided altogether and other methods should be considered to keep the appearance of your site current.

The combination of a recent design and dynamic content will give any website the edge on those sites. An area on the home page that displays random features about the site every time a user enters will show return visitors that this site is alive and well. This can also be useful in pushing visitors deeper into target areas of the site.

Offer Something Useful to your Web Users

Company and contact information is essential and can be useful to potential customers, but this alone will not inspire repeat visits from the majority of web users. To add substance and value, consider adding any of the following to your website:

• Trade articles
• Product listings
• Diagrams
• Charts or animations displaying the processes of your company’s products and services
• An email based newsletter
• Forums for support of your products

Request for Information Form

More often than not, when a web user clicks an email link to contact you from your website the only information you receive is an out of context question and an email address. If their browser is not configured to the email client, the email link simply won’t work.

By providing web users with a concise form directing them to give you the information you need you not only get a qualified lead for you sales team, you can also answer any questions they have with at least a bit of background knowledge. This method will also eliminate all incompatibilities your users may experience using the email method.

Newsletter Mailing List

Email newsletters and internet mailing lists offer you the opportunity to market your latest promotions and products directly to your customers. Newsletters can be in the form of flyers advertising sales, or trade articles providing helpful information to your customers while promoting your company name.

Make it easy for your customers to opt in to your newsletter by providing a form that only requires them to type their email and click submit. From this form you can grow your mailing list and send newsletters to subscribers that include images, advanced layout and interactive features such as links to your website.

Offer Articles or Ebooks

There are still web users who do not like to give out their contact information on the web. To offer these users some incentive to submit some contact information, you can offer a document that requires them to fill out a form before they can download or view it.

Making the best of your online presence can appear to be a daunting task, but with a proper plan in place it can prove to be virtually painless. And, when implemented, a proper Internet marketing plan can produce amazing results.