CleverStart

basically, it’s acknowledging that your web presence is the most important marketing tool that any business has in today’s marketplace.  if you don’t believe me, ask yourself these questions:  when was the last time you picked up a yellow pages to find a phone number or address?  if you were deciding between restaurants to dine at over the weekend, did you go and physically visit all 4 restaurants to pick up their menu and check out their ambiance?  when was the last time you got a PHONE call from a store like Nordstrom letting you know that they had a sale going on?  when was the last time you picked up the phone and called 1000 customers to tell them about a new product you’re releasing?  when was the last time you called a business to find out their pricing?  if you have a medical question, do you call your doctor?  has someone ever given you their business card and it did NOT have a website address?  you get the point.  my octogenarian grandparents use the internet, so i’m assuming the rest of the population does too.  web sites are often a potential customers first impression of your business, which is the biggest opportunity you have to establish credibility and win their business.  additionally, it provides valuable information about you, your company, your products, and your value propositions.  it helps people decide if they want to do business with you. 

the fact that you are reading this WEB log probably means that this concept is old news.  if you are still not convinced, then fine, you don’t have to believe me.  however, you still need an effective website, sorry.  you need an effective website even if you do not believe that your website is your most effective marketing tool simply because of the opportunity cost of NOT having a great site.  Here is a great example.  My wife recently got mad at me for staying up too late all the time working and not spending enough time doing household chores.  she had made dinner probably two weeks in a row, and it was high time i started chipping in.  so, i felt bad and wanted to buy her a gift to smooth it over.  so i went online and looked up locally owned jewelry stores.  Side note, i could have taken advantage of the numerous online stores who are able to offer lower pricing because they have less overhead and pass the savings on to consumers, but i wanted to physically walk into someplace and have an expert walk me through my options.  in essence, i wanted a typical traditional transaction, but i still went online.  The first 3 stores had amazing websites, they established themselves as experts, had beautiful photos displaying their jewelery, and they made me feel comfortable if i were to purchase a high end item from them.  The 4th website was disgusting to say the least.  i am not a web snob, but it was literally an old photo with no text for the home page, and a copy and paste effort for directions to their store, and that’s it.  this store is LOSING business because if this is how they treat their website, how do they treat their customers?  how could they possibly sell high end jewelry and have such a sorry excuse for their online presence?  needless to say, i still visited the store.  it turns out, they have been locally owned and operated in my town for over 50 years, and their reputation was impeccable!  but guess what?  i am the exception and NOT the rule, i only went there because i happened to drive by one day and thought i should talk to them about their web situation.  and guess what?  they are now a Clever Start client. 

the point is, whether you like it or not, the truth is that you need a great website to deliver your message, to attract and retain customers, and to at least put yourself on level playing ground with the competition.