Website as Marketing Tool

1
Website as Marketing Tool

• Annette Vaillancourt
• Girl Geek Web Designs

2
Consumer Interest and Use of the Internet

• In 2001, 1/3 of Americans used the internet to
  search for products or services
• 39 made online purchases
• 35 were looking for health information

3
Do Small Business Value Websites?

• According to the Small Business Internet Survey
  (2001), 57 of service oriented businesses say
  their website gave 100 ROI
• 65 say a website is important to the future of
  their business

4
How Small Businesses Use the Internet

• 93 of businesses find the Internet more valuable
  for researching products and services, finding
  vendors, or comparing prices than for actually
  making purchases online.
• Reasons given for not having a website include
  lack of knowledge as to how a website would
  benefit their business.

5
Designing a Website for Marketing Purposes

• What is the goal of the website?
• What do you want the site to do for your
  business?
• Selling products or services
• Establishing expertise
• Interacting with prospective/current clients
• Pre-qualifying customers
• Providing Customer service

6
20 Things You Can Do with a Web Page that You
Cant Fit in a 1 x 1 Yellow Pages Ad

• Create an Online brochure showcasing your
  products or services
• Have a virtual storefront sell products
• Collect Customer Satisfaction surveys
• Create and post to blogs

7
20 Thingscontd

• Write and Sell an e-book or electronic book
• Earn via affiliate programs or sell
  advertising on your site
• Interact with your customers and vendors via
  online forms
• Create an email newsletter to keep your customer
  base informed

8
20 Thingscontd

• Give a Virtual tour of your store or office.
• Build a portfolio or gallery of your artistic
  works.
• Link to other web sites of interest to your site
  visitors
• Post testimonials of clients who rave about your
  work/product
• Give visitors door-to-door driving directions to
  your place of business

9
20 Thingscontd

• Collect information about site visitors for later
  marketing efforts.
• Chat with visitors to your site.
• Provide customer service by answering FAQs
  (frequently asked questions)
• Have customers email you with questions or
  suggestions

10
20 Thingscontd

• Post a calendar of events or special sales
• Reach a wider market by submitting your web site
  to search engines.
• Accept credit card payments online through secure
  pages

11
5 Essentials for Business Websites

• Contact Information on every page (above the
  fold)
• Easy to use Navigation on every page(or a site
  map)
• A clear "Call to Action or unique offer
• Your USPs
• changing content with high keyword saturation in
  the text

12
Niche Marketing

• The site needs to be designed to appeal to the
  niche
• The site content and focus needs to be directed
  to the niche
• The site needs to be found by the niche

13
If You Build It, Will They Come?

• Websites should NOT be the whole marketing pie.
• If you have a great site and no one sees it,
  whats the point?
• How does your market shop?
• Where in the buying cycle might they want to see
  your site?

14
Website Promotion Strategies

• Search engine strategies
• Linking strategies
• Traditional strategies
• Email strategies
• Paid Advertising strategies
• Miscellaneous strategies

15
Client Success Stories

• Roberta Elliot of the Velvet Hammer
• Bernstein Decorative Finishes
• Fund Stuff, LLC
• Kite Hill Bed and Breakfast
• Barton House Bed and Breakfast
• Moore Scrapbooking

16
Client Success Stories

• Got Stress Get Help (Oprah)
• University Apartments 2 in Google
• John A. Logan Museum
• Natural Herbal Meds