What’s a Website Worth in an Economic Crisis

Of course, it’s no secret that we are in the midst of a global economic crisis and as such business owners are having to give greater consideration to where they are spending their dollars these days.

In my dealings with other web developers I am hearing that one of the most common challenges they are facing when approaching potential new clients is that business owners are gun shy about spending money on their business websites.

I have an entirely different viewpoint on this. Now more than ever it is imperative for business owners to take advantage of online marketing techniques. Why? Because, in actual fact, the cost of having a website built and hosted is far less than the overhead and daily expenses associated with keeping a brick and mortar store open, stocked, and staffed. And that’s to say nothing of the money that needs to be budgeted to effectively market and drive traffic to a store.

More often than not, to gain walk in traffic you need to look at a marketing mix that includes print materials with regular promotions of your product, local TV & radio advertising, AND you need to have a great location to be able to truly stay in view of your target market.

Now this is not to say that some of these methods aren’t also necessary for the promotion of a website however, the marketing of your site is simplified and made more cost effective by virtue of the fact that they are easily accessed by the masses regardless of location. Staffing is also less of an issue – while you may still need the assistance of designers, and virtual assistants to run your campaigns these individuals are often available on an as needed basis, so that you don’t have to consider such bothersome things as payroll and government deductions.

Something to consider when thinking about the part your website will play in your business in 2009:

Offer something people want AND promote it through the use of strong sales copy, testimonials…build credibility for your business – now more than ever people want to be sure they are receiving value for their dollar.

When recently asked by a client of mine if all the copy on her website was necessary I said “Hell YES!”. While I know I need her services and gladly pay her fee because I have personally experienced the benefits of what she sells, she still needs to provide adequate information so future clients are able to make an informed decision about purchasing her products and services.

Even if you don’t sell a product online, your website is an important part of how you can build credibility for your business. We’ve all heard “You HAVE to be online!” So why aren’t you? If you’re not online or have an out of date website, chances are your competitor who’s got a sharp looking website that’s easy to navigate and has lots of useful information is beating you out of work.

Tune in next week to learn about the value of offering resellable product on your website, and the story of how one of our clients is creating her own resellables from work she has already done!

For more information on how we can help you take your business to the next level with effective online marketing, please visit us at www.catchthis.ca or email us at info@catchthis.ca.