When used properly, a website is an amazing tool for business. Make the most of your time and efforts in 2014 and let your website start working for you. Here are five ways your website can seriously lighten your workload, saving you time and stress.
5. Collecting contact info.
What could be better for business than having people sign up to hire you without any effort on your part? Use your website to make it easy for people to contact you. Be careful about posting your email address, as you don’t want site-crawling spambots to pick up on it and begin bombarding you with junk mail. We’ve talked about using forms on your website before, so check out the article in our blog archive.
4. Providing access to important files.
For business on the go, it can be incredibly helpful to be able to download forms and other important files from your website. Let’s say you’re far away from the office or at a meeting with a client, and they introduce you to a prospective new client who’s based locally. You probably won’t have time to run back to the office for anything, so don’t miss your opportunity to meet because you weren’t prepared! With a fully-equipped website, you’ll be able to download all the necessary forms and information, conduct a successful impromptu meeting, and maybe even sign them up on the spot. Such preparation and organization has the added benefit of impressing your new client!
3. Answering FAQs.
What better way to establish yourself as an expert than by demonstrating your expertise? Adding an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page to your website is a great way to help your customer base 24/7 without interrupting your focus on your various projects. Those reading your FAQ will get the answers they were looking for, you’ll become the expert in their minds, and next time they need your services they’ll be more likely to return to your company and hire you.
2. e-Commerce.
Having an online store is just like having a real store, only you don’t have to stand there all day waiting for customers, nobody can shoplift, and you don’t have to tidy up at the end of the day. Automatic transactions make selling your merch way easier, as all you have to do is manage the inventory of your eCommerce store and make sure orders get shipped properly.
1. Advertising your other services.
Even your existing clients may not realize all of the services that your company offers. For example, many landscaping companies in the New England area offer a set of landscaping services during the warmer months and switch to snowplowing, sanding and salting when the snow hits. This gives homeowners peace of mind, since they can hire the same trusted team of professionals to work on their property all year round. Here at inConcert Web Solutions, we often get surprised reactions from website clients who don’t know that we offer graphic design, or graphic design clients who never realized we design websites! If you’re not talking about what you can do, who will? Many small businesses don’t have the budget for a dedicated sales force so, for them, letting their website do all the upselling is a great advantage.