Web Works Wonders for Small Business
Web Works Wonders for Small Business

Written by: Ray Gordon Knight C.E.O.- Chief Envisioneer Officer
LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rayknight

This is the seventh in the series of articles designed to help small and medium-sized
businesses improve their marketing and sales by cost-effectively increasing awareness,
protecting their customer base and attracting new business. Prior articles are available at
www.rayknight.com

While most business owners today are well aware of the World Wide Web and the impact
it is having on our business and personal lives, many have yet to add a Website into their
overall marketing plan. Others have taken the first step to develop an initial Website, but
are at a loss on strategic opportunities available to them to take their online presence to
the next level. Each of these groups has the opportunity to integrate this important channel
into their marketing plan as a way to accomplish one or more of the following objectives:
􀂅 Increase awareness about their business
􀂅 Generate new leads as potential clients
􀂅 Add another channel to their communications with existing customers and, in
so doing, reduce overall servicing costs
􀂅 Add online sales into their existing business channel
􀂅 Cost-effectively introduce and make available multilingual marketing and sales
information.
This article presents recent statistics on the importance of this media to the target markets
mentioned and also presents a veritable menu of content options, a proven successful tip
and a free offer.
The fact that the Web works wonders for small and medium sized businesses was
highlighted in a recent study undertaken by Verizon Wireless. After launching a Website,
41 percent of small businesses reported an increase in their sales volume and 55
percent of small businesses with a Website said their Websites have generated a
profit or paid for themselves. Of the small businesses still without a Website, 26 percent
reported they definitely or probably will create a Website in 2003.
U.S. small businesses are still dedicating and even boosting funds to their Internet
presence, a sign they now consider the Internet imperative to business. In the face of
challenging economic times, 96 percent of small businesses said they still planned to
maintain or increase their Internet expenditures in 2003.
Nearly half of small businesses with a Website – 47 percent – said they were more
satisfied this year with their Website than they were last year and 42 percent said their
Website has exceeded or met expectations this year. Overall, 63 percent of small
businesses surveyed said they plan to upgrade their Websites. In addition, 54 percent said
they will add a list of products or services on their Website and 53 percent said they plan to
change the design of their Website.
NOTE: In addition to businesses use of this medium, in this challenging economy, we have
seen numerous individuals and executives that are now developing, or having developed,
their own personal Website as an additional tool to use in their campaign for their next
Knight
Works
KnightWorks
20 Deer Run
Miami Springs, FL
33166
Office: 305. 888.1905
Cell: 305. 989.4815
E-mail:
raygknight@hotmail.com
We’re on the Web!
www.rayknight.com
“Over the years,
we have seen
many companies
evolve from their
first Website into
the next generation
site that typically
includes the
addition of more
content, new
functionalities and
increased
integration of the
Web into the core
processes of their
business.”
career position.
Whether a company or an individual is considering creating or upgrading their online
presence, the same key considerations that need to be discussed and thought through are
the issues of objectives, strategy and content. Content is one of the three “C’s” impacting
online strategy, the other “C’s” are Community and Commerce. These will be covered in
future editions of KnightLine.
Two Key Considerations-Objectives & Strategy
The most important question to consider in initiating a Web development project is what is
the objective or objectives of the site. As with any marketing initiative, your particular
objective (s) will give rise to the discussion of strategy (ies) to achieve those particular
objectives. Here are a few different objectives you might explore as part of your online
strategy.
􀂅 Is your site to be designed to provide some preliminary information about your
company? This is commonly referred to as brochure-ware in that the site is an
online, digital brochure about your company.
􀂅 Is it intended to stimulate interaction and two-way communications between
your company and the visitors to the site? The focus could be on activating
this channel as a way to service existing customers or to initiate a dialogue
with potential new customers.
􀂅 Is it intended to create repeat traffic through the periodic addition of new
content to the site?
􀂅 Is it designed to gather/capture information about your visitors and your target
market?
􀂅 Is it designed to accept orders that are completed offline or to conduct sales
online through the addition of an e-Commerce capability?
Over the years, we have seen many companies evolve from their first Website into
the next generation site that typically includes the addition of more content, new
functionalities and increased integration of the Web into the core processes of their
business.
1 of the Three “C’s”-Content is King
One of the most frequent questions we hear from existing and potential clients is what
information should be included in a company’s Website. While the content will vary from
business to business, here is a menu of content sections that we find clients incorporating
into their first, second or third versions of their Website.
􀂅 Home page- A general overview about the business and the scope of the
information included in the Website. This page can serve to orient the visitor
about how much and what type of information is available on the site and
where to find what they are looking for.
􀂅 Products/Services- A description of each of the company’s key product and
service offerings focuses on the features of each and the benefits to be
derived through their purchase and/or consumption. While a simple approach
would include a narrative about the products/services, a more comprehensive
option is to create an online catalog.
􀂅 Clients- An additional component of the Website is to provide some insight
into the quantity and quality of business that your company serves. This
section can amount to more than just “name dropping” by shedding light on
the nature of the problem(s) your company helps clients solve or types of
opportunities they capitalize upon by working with your company.
Knight
Works
KnightWorks
20 Deer Run
Miami Springs, FL
33166
Office: 305. 888.1905
Cell: 305. 989.4815
E-mail:
raygknight@hotmail.com
We’re on the Web!
www.rayknight.com
“Case studies are
an effective way to
provide a visitor
with real life insight
into how your
company undertook
a particular
assignment. It can
highlight the
challenges faced,
the methodology
undertaken and the
results achieved.”
􀂅 Testimonials- Use third party testimonials from your clients, vendors and/or
partners as additional credibility about your company. While one approach is
to set up a specific page to present several quotations, another strategy is to
set up a location on various pages of your site where this information is
presented.
􀂅 About Us- A general description of the company’s history, mission and vision.
This section can serve several purposes as it orients the visitor about the
creation, evolution and direction of the firm. It should clearly convey the
company’s unique selling proposition and how it is positioned against its
competitors.
􀂅 Case Studies- Case studies are an effective way to provide a visitor with real
life insight into how your company undertook a particular assignment. It can
highlight the challenges faced, the methodology undertaken and the results
achieved. Case studies can include the name of the company involved (with
their advance permission) or be written in such a fashion as the actual client is
hidden. Client testimonials incorporated into these documents can also be a
strong selling tool.
􀂅 White Paper- A White Paper is a handy device for a company to demonstrate
or share its expertise and/or opinion about a specific topic that is of potential
interest or impact to the company’s target market, industry, allies or partners.
􀂅 Inquiry Form- This form enables the company to take advantage of the
medium as a potential lead generation source by offering visitors the ability to
request basic information about your business, products or services.
􀂅 RFP- The inclusion of a Request for Proposal form is a great device to identify
serious inquiries that demand the company’s immediate attention.
􀂅 Guest Form- This simple device is one way to gain some insights into who is
visiting your site and their thoughts, questions and comments.
􀂅 Site Map- A section that presents a graphic picture of all the pages and sub
pages of the site for easy reference for the visitor to find what they are looking
for.
􀂅 Search Capability- This function enables the visitor to input a particular word
or phrase and quickly find the information pertaining to that topic.
􀂅 Contact- A contact form should provide address, directions/map, phone, fax,
and email addresses. One suggestion is to not relegate this to only one page
in the site when you can have it show on every page in a footer format.
􀂅 FAQ- A Frequently Asked Question page is helpful in providing visitors with an
easy reference resource to obtain their own answers to the questions that
potential clients most often pose to the company.
􀂅 Links- This is a simple way to provide additional value to the visitors to your
site by providing them with links to other sites and sources that can provide
them with information, assistance or advice on those topics historically known
to be of interest to them.
􀂅 Press/In the News- A Press section of the site provides the visitor with an
understanding of your company’s most important announcements and
developments over time. The In the News section provides them with a thirdparty’s
perspective on your company, products, services or initiatives through
the reprint of articles that were distributed in traditional or online media. This
content could be written, a sound clip or a video clip.
Knight
Works
KnightWorks
20 Deer Run
Miami Springs, FL
33166
Office: 305. 888.1905
Cell: 305. 989.4815
E-mail:
raygknight@hotmail.com
We’re on the Web!
www.rayknight.com
t
“Just like you
wouldn’t build a
house or office
without a blueprint,
make sure you get
your objectives and
strategy clear first
and then move onto
your content so that
you know exactly
what you want
before you request a
bid for your
business.”
.
􀂅 Traffic Counter- A simple way to measure the amount of traffic to your site.
An even better strategy is to have your Webmaster organize your use of a
Website traffic analysis program like WebTrends that provides detailed
monthly reports at a reasonable fee. These programs incorporate all types of
useful information including, but not limited to, the following:
o General Statistics
o Top Documents
o Top Directories
o Most Downloaded Files
o Visitors by Number of Visits
o Top Visitors
o Top Geographic Regions
o Most Active Countries
o North American States and Provinces
o Most Active Cities
o Most Active Organizations
o Summary of Activity for Report Period
o Summary of Activity by Time Increment
o Number of Views per Visit
o Visitors by Time Increment
o Top Referring Sites
o Top Referring URLs
TIP 1: Still not sure, what to do with your first website or your next version, why not check
out the websites of 3-5 competitors to see how they are taking advantage of this medium.
Not only could it give you some ideas, you might learn something about the competition
that you didn’t know before!
TIP 2: In addition to promoting your website in your other printed materials and on your
phone hold message, you can use it in phone conversations. One of the effective uses of a
Website is what I refer to as the “WebWalk”. This technique is especially effective when
dealing with a new contact or prospect on the phone that is not fully familiar with the
contacted company. Simply ask the prospect if they have online access while on the
phone. Direct them to your Web address and provide them with a guided tour of the major
components of your site. This technique allows you to harness the power of the spoken
word with the visual impact of your Website to create a lasting first impression.
TIP 3: As the web has become increasingly popular, the cost and time required to build
your website or improve your existing one, is spiralling downwards. Just like you wouldn’t
build a house or office without a blueprint, make sure you get your objectives and strategy
clear first and then move onto your content so that you know exactly what you want before
you request a bid for your business.
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