Websites

Promotional outlets that rely on excellent writing include: websites, brochures, newsletters, news releases, slogans, and advertising.

The Website can be the promotional focus and baseline of every business. Whether simple or detailed, a website offers the most in-depth and cost effective promotional and communications tool available.

Ultimately, the consumer controls their relationship with your business. Your website offers the consumer a convenient tool to help guide them in a positive direction. A website supports and transcends classic customer relations. It can take you closer and more intimately to your customers, allowing you to communicate more detailed information and offer real-time updates when necessary. It also gives customers an immediate opportunity to voice opinions about your business and be heard through email contact. Few consumers would bother with the effort, time and cost of sending feedback via regular mail.

Because it is on their terms and time schedule, customers are most receptive to learning about your business when they initiate contact. This type of pull marketing is about offering the consumer products/services that they want, when they want. Focus your promotional efforts on this communication stage. A website can serve multiple inquiries and is “OPEN” for business 24/7. You can present a well thought out message that doesn't change based on moods and emotions. This message is generally more effective than a phone inquiry because it stimulates the customer’s senses with graphics, sound, and text that can be scrutinized and re-read. Thus, you recognize the consumer’s individual lifestyle and allow them freedom to choose when and what aspects of your information they are interested in.

An informed consumer also saves you time and money when it comes to personal contact. With a website, you can educate consumers about how they can use your products and services for maximum benefit.

You are knowledgeable and feel passionate about your business, but time constraints often prevent consumers from the same deep and meaningful exploration of your product or service. Communicate what you know. Anything that saves a customer time will gain attention. A food business may offer recipes, ingredients, healthful qualities, history, fun facts and explain other uses. A “unique item of the month club” similar to beer and wine clubs can work with anything that has variety.

More than half of the United States population actively uses online communications to enhance their lives, and online use posts high double digit growth each year. Yet, reports cite that half or more small businesses have yet to establish websites, leaving room for those who embrace the communication medium earlier at some advantage.

College students and teenagers form brand preferences at a young age and influence adult purchase decisions, and they consider the online community an important aspect to their lifestyles. In addition, most internet users are well-educated and have higher disposable incomes.

Consider the following from a Washington Post News release:

“When looking to make time during the day for their personal needs, most working women would not stop using the Web. Seventy percent say they are unlikely to remove the Internet or Radio from their daily routine, while over half say they would remove television, newspapers or magazines. Their dedication to the Web may be linked to the value it brings to their lives. Working women say nearly every major category of transaction and research is made simpler online. For example, 87 percent agree that product research is made easier online, while 66 percent say they are better able to keep current on news events using the Web.”

Online directories and localized search engines from Google, Yahoo, MSN and others are continuing to make finding your business online easy.