Small businesses rely on effective marketing strategies to promote their brand and generate sales. In today’s society, marketing efforts and client outreach are executed heavily online. Studies have shown that 70-80% of people decide to conduct online research of a company before ever even visiting their brick and mortar location. If your small business does not have a website, your company is missing out on major marketing opportunities, and ultimately, customers. Here are 6 reasons why having a company website is essential for small business marketing.
1. Search Engine Optimization: Rank on Google
Potential customers are looking for you. Let them find you! When consumers are looking for a certain product or need a particular service, they tend to search the internet first. You want your company to be first on the list of search results. Websites that utilize SEO by featuring consistent content and relevant keywords throughout rank higher on search engine results pages. Having a website for your small business will help promote brand awareness and present your company to potential customers, just from their first Google search.
2. Websites Build Brand Equity
Brand equity is essentially the customer’s perception of a company. Having your own website gives you the opportunity to control your company’s image, as well as potential customers’ first impressions of your brand. An informative, user-friendly website will give consumers an idea of who your company is, what you offer, and what you stand for. You decide what type of content is displayed on your website, and what customers will learn about your company. It is a simple way to create positive customer attitudes toward your brand and make great first impressions.
3. Small Business Marketing Requires Communication
Today, being connected is crucial. According to a report published by Clutch research firm, only 54% of small businesses in the United States have a company website. That means that 46% of small businesses currently do not communicate with their customers via the internet, inform them of company updates or new campaigns in real-time, or reach new clientele through SEO. Small business marketing is all about developing a clear brand message and delivering it to both existing and potential customers. Having a website gives your company a platform on which to do so.
4. Industries Are Constantly Changing
Think of a website as a living document. It is a vault of information that can constantly be updated, changed, and improved to meet the needs of customers and industry trends. Successful small business marketing involves addressing the company’s target market, evaluating the industry environment, and making adjustments accordingly. For example, a small business that provides home cleaning services may decide to branch out and offer personal chef services as well. This company might want to target different groups of people for their different services or launch different campaigns and pricing specials for each. A website will allow this small business to make changes to the information displayed unlimitedly, and as frequently as needed.
5. Our World Is Mobile
There is no question that today’s society is always on the go, and that the majority of internet searches are made on mobile devices (over 60% of searches to be exact, according to an article by Entrepreneur ). This article also states that local businesses are actually designed to appear at the top of mobile search results and that thanks to Google’s “Mobilegeddon” algorithm update, Google favors local businesses whose websites are designed to be mobile-friendly. This means that having a website that is optimized for mobile use gives small businesses the opportunity to reach even larger audiences.
6. Connect With Millennials and Future Generations
Small business marketing requires planning for the future, and sometimes, even predicting it. Millennials and even younger generations hold the future of the economy and the business world in their hands. They have grown up with technology and mobile devices, and they get the majority of their information digitally. Being able to attract millennials gives small businesses the edge they need to understand an industry’s current situation and determine the direction it is headed in. In addition, this opens up another entire target market for the company.
From building brand equity to meeting the needs of today’s plugged-in society, having a company website is an essential part of your small business’s marketing efforts. Creative Click Media offers affordable StartupSites to help your company make its debut in the digital world. Contact us today to find the StartupSites package that is right for your business.
