Using Your Small Business Website As A Marketing Tool

There are very few small businesses which can afford to set aside a large marketing budget. However, marketing is regarded as an essential activity for any business that is looking to grow and achieve greater levels of success. Advertising, in particular, is often an expensive necessity for a small business in order for them to reach people other than their existing customer base.

Especially in times of financial hardship, the marketing budget of a small business is one of the first things to be slashed when the owner wants to make some savings. This is actually a counter-intuitive move to make because it will restrict your ability to reach out to new customers. In the long-term this is more likely to end up costing the business money rather than actually saving anything.

Sometimes cutbacks to the marketing budget are unavoidable. In these situations, the shortfall of money investment can be overcome by increasing your overall marketing activity and the amount of time that you put into it. A great way of substituting your useful marketing expenses for something that is equally effective is to spend more time on your business website.

Small businesses commonly overlook the potential marketing power of their website. It is equally, if not more, effective than paying to list your company in telephone directories. A website can be maintained at very little cost and will expand the reach of your company beyond your local area to a global audience.

The best websites perform a valuable marketing function in 'pre-selling' their product to consumers. This means that by the time you or your sales team speak to the customer on the phone or in person, they will already have been convinced to purchase from you because of the information on your website.

In order to maximise the marketing potential of your website make sure that you keep it as up-to-date as possible. Regular promotions and special offers will make sure that people keep returning. Remember that a dead or rarely used website is useless as a marketing tool.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.