Masonry Magazine November 2002 Page. 46
Marketing 101
Why on Earth Do You
Need a Website?
Linda VandeVrede
Scottsdale, AZ
For those of us used to tried-and-true methods of marketing, such as brochures, trade shows, personal relationships or press releases, the hoopla surrounding websites can seem like the latest Barnum & Bailey circus. It comes into town with a lot of sound and fury and leaves after a short while. A fad by any other name is still a fad.
Websites are no transient visitor to the world of marketing. There's a lot of rationale behind including a strong website in your arsenal of communication tools. Many of the reasons may not be immediately apparent if you've been focusing on brochures or word-of-mouth in the past, or if you personally don't visit websites of companies when you research information for your own benefit. You're probably prone to thinking, "If I'm not using the Internet to get information, most of my customers aren't either." Or you may be fearful of revealing too much information to your competitors via an easily accessible medium such as a website.
To understand why websites are important, you have to remember that the world is made up of different kinds of people and different ways to access information. Some people are very aural - they like to speak with people over the phone and receive information that way. Some like the personal one-on-one meetings and forging relationships and obtaining data that particular way. There is still another group that is somewhat reticent, albeit industrious, that prefers to conduct their research via print.
This last group is important to remember when you prepare your marketing strategy. There are both customers and a majority of time-constrained editors who prefer to obtain information about your services via a non-intrusive, 24x7 medium such as a website. By not including the correct content in a website, you're effectively eliminating 25-40 percent of your target audience right off the bat. Do you want to neglect such an important sector of people who can buy or influence others to buy your product?
While you may personally not be prone to using the Internet, there are many, particularly younger buyers and editors, who grew up on computers and can't imagine any other way. These are the people who will go to what they perceive to be the best website in order to make a purchase or obtain background information for an article. Their rationale will be, "If company A has such little content on its website, and makes it so difficult for me to find the information I want, then I'll go to Company B, because their website is easier to navigate and has a lot more information, so it's probably a better indicator of the successful company they are."
To come up with the content and navigational methods for your website, it's helpful both to review what other companies inside and outside of your market are doing, as well as to take the time to examine the demographics of your target customers. What kinds of information do your buyers want and need to know? Is it pricing? Is it the range of services/products available? Following are some minimal required components to successful websites:
* Information about your range of products and/or services
* Key features to each product and/or service
* Upcoming events where your company may be participating/speaking/exhibiting