My Mother never had a website.
It's the one question that sets the average webmaster's teeth on edge - Why do I actually need a website?
It always strikes me as the internet equivalent to "what is one plus one?"
Yes, I do know the answer, but when someone asks you to explain exactly WHY one plus one equals two, then you have to stop and think about it a little more yourself.
To play devil's advocate briefly, the world is saturated with advertising media - TV, posters, newspapers, handouts, telephones, SMS messages, movies, videos and DVDs, audio, and even sales teams I am already paying every one of which probably has the power of speech.
So now, you want to hit me for a website so even yak farmers in Nepal and market traders in Uganda can learn about my products on-line.
Well that sounds really useful but for this week, I'll pass.
How do we answer this honestly?
I say honestly, because it is always a temptation just to say that since there are over 11.2 billion websites available on the internet then clearly someone must think that they are useful to have around!
But that is not really an answer.
After all, about half of the world's population has pierced ears, wear dresses and use make-up. I do not - am I missing out?
Or am I perhaps right in thinking they look a tad misplaced on a bearded male web designer?
So - no short cuts then.
I suggest we have to go back to basics & look at the website in comparison with traditional marketing tools.
I always use this as my example.
Supposing you put a leaflet under a windscreen wiper of every car on the planet for a single fee on a single day, would that be worth your trouble?
After all: -
Some people do not have a car,
An awful lot of people will just pull the leaflet out and throw it away unread,
Some cannot read it,
Some will read it - but do not want or need your product,
A few might read it and then pass it on to their friends,
Some might blow away from under the windscreen wiper of their car, or be dropped by other "readers" and someone else might pick them up,
Just a few of these who respond well to your well-designed leaflet will say - "Oh! Yeah! Great!" And will contact you,
This is called "conversion"
If your conversion rate was only 0.01%, how many sales would you get?
On the net, your site is (or should be) viewable on every computer on the planet that has an internet connection (Estimated at 168,000,000 with 63, 0000 more every day).
Consider the possibilities of that kind of exposure - how little it will cost in comparison with all the other form of mass media with that kind of coverage such as worldwide use of national newspapers, radio and TV.
As with our leaflet campaign, you will draw many blanks - and there are many other leaflets out there - but now at least you are in the game.
I do not plan to get into issues of search engine strategies at this time, but with your "WWW" on every business card, receipt, company car, shop, signboard, staff uniform, coffee mug, pen, key fob and just about anything else you can lay hands on, it's a simple matter of increasing your company's exposure and that never hurts.
You are driving the public to the website where you can lay out your wares to their best advantage - and feel free to change your leaflet's content ten times a day if you feel so inclined without having to go to the time and trouble of re-leafleting the planet, or at least your corner of it.
About the Author
Englesos is a Web and Graphic Designer working out of the Famagusta area of Cyprus. See more of his work on http://www.englesos.net or else at http://www.lookerscy.com
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