Important Business Assets You Need to Have
When you own a business there are many things to consider. From inventory to employees to accounting, you’re always busy doing something. One thing that can’t get lost in the shuffle is how you market your business and manage your business assets.
These days everyone goes online to look for a business or service they need. Once they find a few, they search how successful they are via reviews. That’s why you need to make sure your online presence is on point in every way. The days of using a phone book to look for services are long gone. People want information at their fingertips instantly, which means your website needs to be informational, crisp and inviting.
Why your website is one of the most vital business assets
Website design is key. This will very likely be the first impression someone gets of your business. That’s why you need to put your best foot forward. Hiring a professional company with experience in website design, such as Portside Marketing, can give you the peace of mind of knowing that your website will be professional and useful.
Here are things to consider when thinking about the design of your website:
Layout
Your website needs to be user-friendly and informational. This is where the layout comes in. While you want to give a lot of information, you want to do it in a way that appeals to the user. You want the layout to also convey your style and vibe of your business. This will come across very clearly and will either attract or disinterest your audience. Having an experienced team behind you can help you to attract as many customers as possible by avoiding having a website that is either too busy looking or too boring. Either scenario will make customers click off and move on quickly.
Photos & Images
You can tell people as much as you want about your business, but you also need to show them your products and services. A solid marketing company will make sure you have high-quality images to showcase your business. You also want to include a photo of yourself. People like to know who they’re dealing with. This helps to form a relationship and build up business.
Source for Sales
Your website should also be a place where customers can buy your products directly. It should have e-commerce capability so people can buy what they need right away and don’t have to go search for it elsewhere. Just as you want customers to find information easily, you want to be able to support sales just as easily.
Information Hub
Your website is not only a place where people can find basic information about your business and contact you, but it’s also a place where they can learn more about the topics your business includes. Blog posts and newsletters can give users extra information that will hopefully lead them to use your service or buy your product. You want to provide value so that the user feels as though they need your business or service.
Why you need a solid email list for your business
Having a stellar website is only one of the important business assets you need to have. A solid email list is another one. When you have these together you increase your chance for success.
Build your audience
When you have a solid e-mail list, you have the power to also send out blog posts and newsletters, and other information right to people’s inboxes. This puts you front and center and also helps you build a relationship with potential customers. When people feel like they know you, they begin to trust you and will want to do business with you.
You can gather email addresses through your website and at events that you may attend. This way you already know the recipient has an interest in your business because they’ve either looked at your business online or have visited your booth at a business event. Build on that to grow a relationship and your customer base.
Why you can’t solely rely on social media for advertising
Social media is a great tool for advertising your business, but it shouldn’t be your only one. Many businesses make the mistake of relying too heavily on Facebook and other platforms to get the word out about their business. What happens when there’s an outage and the site is down for an extended period of time? You lose business! For some companies, this is to the tune of thousands of dollars. If this happens frequently, each outage is slowing making a business go under.
That is why your website and email list are so important. By building your business through your website and email lists, your business will still be accessible if there is a social media outage and you still have the ability to reach people. You can use social media along with your website and email list, as long as they are always serving as your home base. By building up your website, people will know they can visit it directly if they don’t see an ad or post on social media. You have made the connection and established a relationship that will show in your bottom line.
You can certainly use social media to draw traffic to your website and to obtain email contacts. This way you have a way to reach people at all times and they know where to find you as well. As long as they know there are other ways to reach you besides social media, you’ll be in a good position for success.
Are you ready to get started?
If you’re looking to build your website and marketing toolbox, call the team at Portside Marketing. Our website design team has over 35 years of website design experience combined. Let us show you why so many people trust us with their online marketing and website design.