The fact is that no customer thinks a business is legitimate anymore without a website. Even small businesses should have a basic website up for a variety of reasons. The first reason is to have up to date contact and location information as well as a schedule. The search engines and other resources often do not update these details daily or weekly unless they are asked or it has been submitted by a customer. The website can be used as a valuable business tool in a myriad of different ways, the following are ways you might not have thought of your website is a tool for.
Turn Your Brand Into a Thought Leader
A website is going to be the first thing people encounter when they search for a company. The brand being turned into a thought leader is going to take quite a bit of work when it comes to content creation. There are many of those companies that concentrate solely on written content when it comes to their blog. Companies have utilized quite a few different types of content to earn the right to be called a thought leader. Podcasts are a great example as weekly industry podcasts can be a favorite for those in the industry to listen while at work. Blog content that simply tries to sell company products or services can annoy or even draw a negative feeling from website visitors. Blog content should inform and add value to the reader whether it is a feel good story or an eBook on difficult to understand industry concepts.
Gather Data on Customer Demographics
Gathering data on customers is one of the most important things a website can do. This data can be used in a myriad of different ways when it comes to marketing and advertising. The data being gathered is necessary to get ahead in a customer centric trend that many businesses have had to adopt with more informed buyers. Surveys can be done on the website about why they are visiting as well as who they are or what their needs are. The websites “Contact Us” page is the perfect lead generation as many people reach out via this method if staff emails are not offered.
Recruiting Tool
Attracting talent is a problem for many companies especially if they are not well-known or have just launched. The website is a great way to humanize the rest of the staff and a place to show company culture. The “About Us” page is a perfect place to show what the staff is like outside as well as inside of work. There should be some serious along with fun questions like “Most Embarrassing Movie You Love”. Leaving job openings on the site is a perfect way to bring in applications without having to pay a job hosting website. Define company culture on the website instead of simply using the popular phrase a few times. A mission statement that appeals to the talented and hard-working is ideal but something motivating can work just as well.
Customer Loyalty
The website can increase customer loyalty through a variety of ways. If a company is responsive to customer service emails immediately or through the website it will not be lost on a customer. The blog is a great place to increase customer loyalty via comments or even letting readers write up a few posts. This will build a sense of community and giving bloggers trying to create a blog and blogging career a chance to build their portfolio in the industry can come back later to help the company.
A blog is a tool that can change the trajectory of a company success. Regardless of what industry a company is in, the investment in a website couldn’t be more valuable. Start using your website as a tool for the above today!
