Saturday, December 20, 2008

Selling on websites

A potential client told me they took down their website because they couldn't spend the time to manage all the products they had to sell online. Now he has a website listed on his business card and no site.

With an increasing number of people seeking out companies on the internet, this is not always a good approach to brand development.

You don't always have to sell products on your website for it to be a useful marketing tool. Here are some ideas to consider that require little to no maintenance on your part.

• Even if it one page with your phone number, put something up. You can still optimize a single page site for the web so that people find you online.

• Create a scheduling application that allows users to set service appointments through your website.

• Use a third party site like Infusion to manage your leads and marketing for you.

• Automate everything. From quotes to contact. The more business systems and processes you can integrate into the technology behind the web, the less time you will spend working on it and answering questions.

• Make sure your site is chock full of useful information from the start. A site that is highly informative may require less revisions as time goes on.

• If you need to sell product, sell products that have longevity such as books or a registration to a workshop.

• Create a site that educates instead of advertises. Educating your customer can go a long way to create brand loyalty for your product or service.

• Your design team is a good resource to assist you with any with maintenance issues. They can objectively look at your situation and create a solution that works to save you time.

Possibilities for how to use your website are endless and the solution to your online marketing needs won't always look like you think it has to look.


©2008 David Scott | Cosmic: Advertising & Design

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