5 Benefits of Having a Website for Your Small Business | Email List ...

Last week at SmallBizTrends I shared the statistic that 47 percent of small business owners still weren?t using social media because they didn?t feel it was important to their business. that post spurred a lot of strong comments, both on site here and on Facebook. Eventually the conversation went from whether SMBs should invest in social media to whether they even need a Website or an Internet presence at all.

I really wish we could stop having this conversation.

You probably know some businesses who are doing phenomenally well without a website. I do, too. But I often wonder how much better they could be doing if they took the time to invest in one. and when I say ?website,? I don?t mean an electronic version of that brochure they?ve been handing out for the past 10 years. I mean a legitimate, well-thought-out site that is designed to inform, engage and convert their audience.

Here are just a few benefits that come along with creating a usable website for your small business. Let me know why you think it is (or isn?t) important for a SMB to have a website in 2011.

1. you stop being invisible.

I?m not trying to be flippant, but by creating a website you stop being invisible to the people trying to find you online. more and more studies are telling us about the ROBO effect where customers are learning to research online before buying offline. They?re typing their problems or needs into the search engine of their choice and are researching the companies that appear for those queries. If you don?t have a Web presence, there?s no chance of you showing up and you never even enter into their thought process. in 2011, you can?t afford to be invisible.

2. you help control your rankings.

While you can?t simply rattle off a list of search terms you want to be found for, you can use search engine optimization basics to help control where your site shows up and for which queries. by creating optimized content, building relevant links and creating a brand that customers want to engage with, you set yourself up as an authority in the eyes of the search engine and increase your chances of appearing for the right queries ? the ones paying customers are using to find businesses just like yours. Creating an optimized website helps you to gain important visibility for the right terms.

3. you create another sales tool.

A website is a powerful sales tool and one that allows you to address your customers? concerns, give them the information they need to make a decision and create compelling calls to action. sure, you can keep placing ads in the Yellow Pages and hope that word-of-mouth generates on its own?or you can build something that inspires it to happen. your website is your home turf where people can go to seek out trusted information about your company and engage with you on a more personal level. Use it to build confidence in your brand and to give customers important buying information (and incentives).

4. you build authority.

Though the Web has been around for some time, it?s true that you didn?t always need a website to find your audience. It was a lot easier to market via direct mailings, Yellow page ads and local word-of-mouth. However, today your website and your social presence are the factors that customers are looking for when they research a small business. They want to know that you?re stable enough to have a dedicated Web presence. that you?ll be around tomorrow should something go wrong. that they can get ahold of you when they need to. by creating a website, you set up shop on the Internet and show customers that this is where they can come to find information about you, to read articles that you?ve written and to learn more about your company. All of these things build authority. Without a website, you?re at a huge disadvantage as a small business owner trying to speak to your customers.

5. you build an email list.

Even if you hate the Web, you probably still like email. I bet you even collect emails from your customers by hand so that you can keep them up to date on what?s happening in-store. Having a website allows you to do all of that better because it makes it easier, faster and provides even more incentive for someone to sign up. create a site that users can trust and then use it to build your email list. along with your website, that list just may end up being one of your strongest sales tools.

Those are just five important reason for a small business owner to create a Web presence. why do you have one? or why don?t you have one?

5 Benefits of Having a Website for Your Small Business

Related Reading:

List Building Unmasked - List Building Secrets - Simple Strategies For Maximizing Your Income With Email Marketing!One email out to a responsive subscriber base.. a single click of your mouse and your automated cash machine kicks into high gear and begins to drive in sales..

Believe me, it's the fastest and easiest method of making money online, regardless of the niche market you are involved in.

In fact, email marketing can work effectively in EVERY single niche imaginable. Mainstream companies use email lists every day as a way of building brand awareness and maximizing their exposure with special offers, freebies, and time limited promotions.

From weight loss products to relationship based newsletters, savvy marketers and businesses know that the real power backing every single product launch is a rock solid mailing list.

So, don't you think it's about time you created yours?

Here's what you will be able to do in just a few days..

* * * Develop flaming hot mailing lists filled to the brim with active, responsive buyers who are eager to receive your emails and respond to your offers!

* * * Build up buzz around a future product launch, build brand awareness and develop a reputation as an authority in your niche market!

* * * Start building a powerhouse of high profit websites based that are guaranteed to be successful because your customer base directly asked for them!

It doesn't matter if you are a complete "newbie", you absolutely need to start building and monetizing a mailing list. You will never make as much money or gain as much exposure for your business, products and overall brand until you do.

You probably have a good reason for not having created a mailing list already, or perhaps you have tried and failed (miserably). With so many sketchy "strategies" out there that lead you astray and distract you from your real objective (making money online), it's time to go back to the basics of what has successfully worked for years and will continue to work for decades to come.

(In case you've been drawn in by the BS surrounding email marketing, let's break it down real quickly)

* * * BS Excuse #1: Creating an email list is time consuming and expensive.

Reality:

You can build a massive email list of red hot prospects for the cost of an autoresponder account and NOTHING more! (You don't even have to pay for hosting, squeeze page templates, email content or leads!)

* * * BS Excuse #2: You have to be a proficient writer or experienced marketer.

Reality:

Very few of us are excellent writers, and for the most part, people are interested in high quality content that can be easily outsourced to affordable freelancers. You can also easily use existing content (just re purposed) to do the job for you.

* * * BS Excuse #3: You have to have your own products in order to monetize email lists.

Reality:

The majority of email marketers got started by promoting other people's products to a targeted group of customers. In fact, even the most experienced email marketers in your industry are promoting affiliate based products (I guarantee it). You do NOT need a product of your own and quite honestly, you should create your list BEFORE you even think of creating your own product! (Read Chapter 4 to find out why)

Been misled into believing any of this nonsense?

You can turn it all around for yourself right now, by following a proven strategy to creating high profit email lists that you can quickly monetize even if you don't even have a product of your own!

In fact, just by following a simple action plan, you can begin to make money right now just by browsing a single marketplace, picking & choosing products that appeal to you and then copy and pasting PRE-WRITTEN emails into your marketing system!

Could it really get any easier than this?

Source: http://emaillistbuildingblog.com/5-benefits-of-having-a-website-for-your-small-business/.php

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