1. Websites are used for marketing, public relations - your company is perceived as modern and keeping up with technology.
2. Have a virtual storefront 24 hours a day 365 days a year, which never closes, and is always available to the public.
3. Can use the Internet to provide information about your business.
4. Used for product announcements.

Reasons for using the Internet

1. Communication
   Permits high speed access to vendors and customers.
   
   
2. Globalisation and Levelling the Playing Field
   By using the Internet many organisations can bring a global edge to a provincial business.
   With the Internet you are much less aware of national boundaries and distance.
   This opportunity for rapid communication can increase a business's visibility from local to global overnight.
   Small businesses can use the Internet to create an image on the network that allows them to compete with large businesses.
   It makes the pursuit of customers, vendors and resources possible world wide - allowing competition in a world market.
   
   
3. Gaining and Maintaining Competitive Advantage
   Increasingly businesses are taking a look at their own organisations and processes in an effort to become more competitive. The Internet is a wonderful tool for engaging in these activities by creating a Web presence for your business.
   
   
4. Cost Containment
   To advertise in the popular directories and through newspapers or magazines is very expensive in comparison to the Internet. In addition having a website developed allows you to publicise your message fully without incurring heavy advertising costs, which in most cases will cost more than having a website developed with FirstPlace WebDesign.
   
   
5. Marketing and Sales
   Advertising on the Internet allows for:
   Full - colour catalogues and brochures.
   On-line graphics and textual information.
   World wide viewing of your website 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
   A business with a presence on the Internet is perceived as modern, advanced and sophisticated.
   Maintaining up to date postings and a website of your company's product information and prices also allows your vendors to have continuous access to the information that is needed in order to promote and sell your products. Small businesses find it easier to compete with large companies by being easily visible to its customers via the Internet.
   By creating a presence on the Internet, businesses can participate in all the benefits of on-line marketing, publicity and sales.
   
   
6. Growth of the Internet
   It is said that the Internet as a whole is growing at the rate of 10% per month, and that the largest and fastest growing segment of the Internet is business.
   The reasons for this are the increase in the number of Internet Service Providers.
   The new easier to use Internet browsers means that more people will be able to make use of the Web too, and become potential customers. Customers can even surf the Net from the comfort of their armchairs through Web TV and even cell / mobile phones!
   
   
7. Examples of how companies are using the Internet
   On-line shopping
   On-line advertising and marketing with off-line purchase or consumption.

Using the Web for doing business on-line
The World Wide Web is the fastest growing, most popular place for business on the Internet right now. It is the place for doing business. Because of powerful linking capabilities on the Web, information from other sites is made readily available for your own business use as well as those for the use by your customers.

Use the Web for

1. Announcements of special sales
2. Company product descriptions
3. Pictures and drawings of products
4. Price sheets

For some small and start up companies, a website may be the only public face of the company. The Web can help small business compete on the larger global playing field. The Web then becomes the companies head quarters on the Internet. The professional image presented on the Web reflects back to your company thus giving it a professional business image too.

The Web can provide cost savings to businesses in a variety of areas - it has very good cost per user ratio. In marketing and advertising, it allows you to reach a large number of potential customers rather inexpensively. Also, the Web allows a company to keep its information and price sheets fresh, without reprinting expensive four colour brochures. The Web can replace some printed materials, or at least provide support for printed materials.

The best sites on the Net are those which offer their visitors a reason to keep on returning to the site, this can be achieved by offering visitors the opportunity for interaction such as competitions and offering discounts on the products or services that your company offers.

What you can do to increase traffic to your website
Ultimately, to be successful, Web based marketing must be an integrated part of a business and marketing plan that encompasses the Web. Companies did not stop advertising in newspapers when radio came along, nor did they abandon radio when TV came on the scene. In the same way Web marketing is not a replacement - but it is another channel. To increase traffic to your website encourage cross fertilisation between your website marketing efforts and your marketing and advertising in traditional marketing media.

Putting your homepage on all your office stationery and your business cards can stimulate interest and conversation. If the recipients are Web wise, they will appreciate it, if they not, they just might ask about it, opening the door for dialogue.

The website identity
Businesses spend a great deal of time and money in creating and maintaining their corporate identity. Companies seek to have consistent images, styles and messages in their advertising and on company materials. Integrate the public image, logos, graphics, colours and other unique aspects of your company into your Web pages whenever possible. This can magnify your other advertising efforts, rather than splintering from them. To promote the on-line part of your corporate identity, consider putting your URL (homepage address) on all promotional materials and corporate literature.

The Future of Business on the Internet
The following are some of the trends that can be identified for the future:

1. Growth - the Internet has grown explosively, and shows no signs of slowing down. The commercial sector particularly is ripe for more growth, with estimates that there are more than 100 million users on the Internet at the start of the new millennium.
2. New users - are coming on-line in unprecedented numbers through ISP's and the on-line commercial services. This trend is likely to continue as software companies make Internet configuration and connection increasingly more user friendly.

As you can see there are a host of advantages of owning a business website. If you would like to contact FirstPlace WebDesign for further information on how we can help you with a website solution, please do. Alternatively view the order process or request a quote, thus helping us help you.