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Steve B
02-28-2009, 02:16 PM
A comment was made on the TV show "Your Business" this morning. The guy said he thinks of your website as the Business Card of the 21st Century. I thought that was very true - it's often the first thing people see with your company information on it - even before a business card. If someone overhears someone talking about your business, they probably will Google you and check out the website before they even call you. I get that a lot - even if someone did give them my business card first they usually do a little research before calling.

It's to the point where I ask if they've been to my website before I bore them with the same information they probably just read.

I'm not sure what my point here is. I just liked the comparison and I'm glad I've devoted so much energy and money toward my website.

vangogh
02-28-2009, 03:41 PM
I'd agree completely with one caveat. If you only see your website as a business card you're missing out on most of the advantages of having one. Initially websites served as a brochure or business card, but they're really evolved into what should be an interactive environment where you can build a community or loyal people around your brand.

I'm not sure that's the best way to summarize it, but it's a quick attempt at summing up a lot.

The comparison between website and business card is a good one. I just think it's only part of the story. Your website is part business card, part sales staff, part costumer support, part lead generation, part marketing, part online store...

I could go on.

Steve B
02-28-2009, 04:56 PM
I can't disagree with that either - it's certainly more than a business card. Maybe the expansion of the analogy is that a website is as essential in the 21st century as a business card was in the 20th century. And, as essential as a sign was in the 18th century.

vangogh
02-28-2009, 05:24 PM
I do think it's a good analogy. There's going to come a point where if you don't have a website people won't see you as being in business. Maybe that won't be true for everyone. I don't plan on looking for a website for the supermarket, but more and more people are either starting their search for products and services online or including the online search as part of their decision about where to buy.

Your additions to the analogy are good too. If it isn't already a website is going to be essential for all business in the years to come.

orion_joel
02-28-2009, 07:08 PM
I pretty much agree, the biggest benefit is though, that a website can provide much more benefit to a potential customer then a business card ever could. (expect maybe though cd business cards).

I visit website very often after hearing people speak about them. Especially that i spend 1 to 2 hours a day in a coffee shop you over hear a lot of people talking about a lot of different businesses and sometimes it is interesting to find out what the businesses do.

vangogh
02-28-2009, 08:41 PM
I visit website very often after hearing people speak about them

One of the first things I do after hearing about any new business is look for them online so I can learn more about them. Those that have a site I can find gain my attention for at least a few minutes. Those I can't find are usually soon forgotten.

nighthawk
03-04-2009, 04:53 PM
I just recently moved house, and fancied treating myself to a takeaway. I knew there were a few takeaways just round the corner, so my first thought was to search online to find their websites and have a look at the menu. While all of them were listed on various services , none had a website.

As many have already said, the first thing anyone does nowadays when they hear a company mentioned, is to look online and find the website and more info about the company.

Every company should consider having a website, they can be pretty cheap to set up and operate, and are excellent sources for gaining new customers.

EDIT:
While having a website is essential in the current day and age, I am not sure it replaces a business card. When you meet a potential client, just telling them your website address is not enough, it is easily forgotten. It is still essential to have a business card that can be handed out, and contains the address. The business card is not dead yet.

vangogh
03-04-2009, 06:03 PM
Had any of those businesses had sites you would have likely chosen them. Shows what good can come from having a website and also the potential loss from not having one. Given the cost of a website it's probably the most cost effective marketing you can do.

True it doesn't replace a business card, though I still think the analogy is a good one.

customtollfree
03-06-2009, 05:01 PM
The big effect of having a website is that you are catering globally or maybe in a certain region but on a global scale. Business cards are just formal tools these days and the most important information in your business card is your website and email address.

vangogh
03-06-2009, 05:31 PM
I think there's more to a website than being global. You can do a lot more with a website than simply have it be a global business card. You can really build a loyal community around your business and you can have your site act as a sales staff and customer support staff and more.

KristineS
03-09-2009, 12:48 PM
I always think of my web site as my introduction. It may be the first thing someone ever sees about whatever business I'm running. Just like when you're introduced to someone in person, you want to make a good first impression. Your web site is your first impression, it may well be the main thing that causes a customer to decide whether or not they pursue a relationship with you.

I also think Nighthawk's comment about searching for takeaway menus is interesting. I tend to do that now too on the rare occasions when I eat out, and it frustrates me that more places around where I live don't have web sites and/or menus online. If I have a choice I will always go with a place that has an online menu I can see in advance.

HaleyMurph
04-20-2009, 09:29 AM
That's a great way to look at the importance of your website! And since the website is the business card of the 21st century, it's important for you to keep up with the opportunities and ways of handing it out.

Spider
04-20-2009, 10:05 AM
I think there's more to a website than being global. You can do a lot more with a website than simply have it be a global business card. You can really build a loyal community around your business and you can have your site act as a sales staff and customer support staff and more.Could you explain how to do that? ...or would that be asking you to give away the farm?!

cbscreative
04-20-2009, 11:06 AM
How did I miss this conversation until now? OK, don't answer that.

I can especially relate to restaurants not having web sites when you are trying to find them. That is so frustrating! That is like throwing money away and the number of restaurants that don't "get it" is amazing.

I'd also vote for vangogh's point that the "interactive" nature of a web site is a key difference. The way to do this is different for each business model, but the important thing for any site owner to keep in mind is to look for ways their web site can improve customer relations. The trap I see many fall into is trying too hard to "sell" when the primary goal should be to make it easier for customers to do business with you.

Using the restaurant example, publishing a menu and offering a map to find the restaurant would be very helpful. A few pictures of the dining room would be needed, but the ability to make reservations would be a big plus.

vangogh
04-20-2009, 12:58 PM
Frederick I had a long answer for you, but I lost it when I went to post. I'll give you a shorter reply now.

There are a lot of ways to add interaction to a site. The basic idea is to change from having a one way monolog to having a two way dialogue. A blog is an obvious way to do this since it allows your audience to comment and interact with you. You can also take that interaction to other sites by commenting on blogs, participating in social media, forums, etc.

You can develop applications on your site. For example a clothing store could build an app that lets you virtually dress up different body types. You pick your body type and start mixing and matching outfits.

You can build training programs for do it yourselfers. Most will take the training and move on, but some will decide to hire the expert, you, instead. Even those that don't hire you may recommend you with links and help your site with search results and generally offer more roads into your site.

You have to think about how you can turn your one way marketing into a two way dialogue.

Spider
04-20-2009, 06:22 PM
Frederick I had a long answer for you, but I lost it when I went to post. ...Thanks for the post. I just had to comment on the lost message, though - It's always the long posts that happens on, isn't it?!

Having done the same thing myself too many times, I now do this— every third line I highlight what I have typed (ctrl-A) and copy (ctrl-C) to my clipboard. Then, when the inevitable happens, I only lose at most the last 3 lines. A quick paste puts me almost back to where I was.

Gosh! That little tip has saved me many a frustrating moment.

vangogh
04-20-2009, 07:23 PM
It was a long post and I was doing other things in between while I wrote. When I finally submitted it I had apparently been logged out and lost everything. I tried to give you the quickie version of what I had said, but I know I lost some detail.

One of these days maybe it'll be the short posts that disappear.

Usually I stay logged in, but I was using a different browser than usual and I guess I don't have that one set up to keep me logged in.

painperdu
08-23-2009, 03:07 PM
About menus online . . . Could it be that putting a restaurant's menu only may discourage a potential visitor from visiting? What I mean is that maybe if a potential customer has the ability to make up his mind before visiting the restaurant in person then he might not visit the restaurant?

This is similar to automotive dealers. If automotive dealers put their complete inventory online then they may miss out on those buyers who could be persuaded to buy some other model than what they originally had in mind.

vangogh
08-24-2009, 01:12 AM
I think the online menu has more potential to get more people in the restaurant than it would turn away. It's not really any different than restaurants that put a menu on the front window.

I've walked out of restaurants before after seeing the menu. If the food isn't what I wanted or the prices seem to high I'm not going to order just because I was already sitting at the table. The restaurant would have been better letting me see the menu in that case so I didn't waste their time.

Lately when I'm thinking of going out to eat or even ordering in, I'll start my search online. The restaurants with menus online are more likely to get my business.

Harold Mansfield
08-24-2009, 01:46 AM
I also think Nighthawk's comment about searching for takeaway menus is interesting. I tend to do that now too on the rare occasions when I eat out, and it frustrates me that more places around where I live don't have web sites and/or menus online. If I have a choice I will always go with a place that has an online menu I can see in advance.

I just noticed this recently. The area I live in is close to what they call "china town", even thought is heavy in all Asian cuisine.
I know a few places from eating there, but now that I live over here, I searched online to check out menus and more importantly to see who delivers.
I was shocked to see that most of the Chinese places, even the well known ones either had no website (just a local listing), a crappy website, no mention of delivery, and only one showed a menu.

It's hard for me to believe that I live within a mile or two of at least 20 Chinese, Thai, Korean, and Japanese restaurants and only 2 of them deliver? I couldn't believe it ! In this day and age, I still have to search for the rolled up menu rubber-banned to my door to find out who delivers in my neighborhood.

When you work online, and see how advanced things have become, and what great strides other people are making....you always have a nagging feeling that you are still light years behind so many people and are frantically trying to catch up, but, when you actually go out into the real world and talk to the "email only" people, you realize how far behind everyone else really is and they have no idea what you are talking about.

Can you believe that there are people younger than me that have no idea what Twitter is?
Don't they even watch T.V. ?

vangogh
08-24-2009, 01:53 AM
When you work online, and see how advanced things have become, and what great strides other people are making....you always have a nagging feeling that you are still light years behind so many people and are frantically trying to catch up, but, when you actually go out into the real world and talk to the "email only" people, you realize how far behind everyone else really is and they have no idea what you are talking about.

So true. It's easy to forget when you spend all day online how web savvy you really are. You might not seem web savvy in comparison to other web savvy people. But to most in the population your light years ahead.

It's also an indication of how much more opportunity there still is online. Just think how much more business one those restaurants near you would get if they did put up a site with a menu. Certainly more than enough to justify the costs of the site.

KristineS
08-24-2009, 12:50 PM
It constantly amazes me how far behind the general population is when it comes to web usage and web design. I constantly struggle with that, because I have to balance what could be cool and useful with what percentage of our customer base will 1) know how to use whatever new thing we add to our site 2)know how to use a web site at all or 3)be so scared by the whole thing that they go hide under the bed.

I don't consider myself terribly web savvy when it comes to design and the mechanics, that's not my field, and I probably know just enough to be dangerous. I also don't consider myself terribly techy when it comes to usage. I use e-mail and web sites but I don't have a cell phone and don't surf the Net using anything but a computer. Still, compared to a lot of people I'm a technical wiz.

It's an interesting line to walk. Some industries will have more tech savvy customers than others, but how do you find the balance?

Hmm... may be a question for the Internet Marketing forum.

cbscreative
08-24-2009, 01:40 PM
I seriously doubt that publishing a menu online would have any measureable negative effect. I'm absolutely in favor of seeing it. I have had occasions where I was planning on being in a certain area around meal time. So, I go online to pick a restaurant before I head out. What a big disappointment!!! So few realize the value of a web site (it's either no web site, very few with a web site, or a pitifully useless web site), and it's frustrating to me as a potential customer.

theDIfellas
08-26-2009, 04:37 AM
im so glad we used some good resources on our site.. everyone loves it! I'll share soon :]