Martin's Media now makes it possible to develop an online presence at a relatively low cost.
Perhaps it is time to create a website that can support your existing customers and clients and bring in new business from both current and new clients. So whether you'd like to allow them to simply find and contact you or want to attract international business or media attention, there are at least 10 good reasons to get online...

1. To Make Business Information Available
2. To Serve Your Customers/Clients
3. To Sell you Product or Service
4. To Communicate with your Customers/Clients
5. To Make Pictures Available
6. To Answer Frequently Asked Questions
7. To Stay In Contact With Salespeople
8. To show people where to find you
9. To Open International Markets
10. To Serve Your Local Market

 

1. To Make Business Information Available

What is basic business information? Think of a Golden Pages ad. What are your hours? What do you do? How can someone contact you? What methods of payment do you take? Where are you located? Perhaps you could provide a map online. The impression your business card can make can only be enhanced by the existence of a website address for potential business associates to access you in the future.
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2. To Serve Your Customers/Clients

Making business information available is one of the most important ways to serve your existing customers. But if you look at serving the customer, you'll find even more ways to use Internet technology. How about making order forms available - they can at worst be printed off and faxed or mailed to you if they are not online themselves. Cost and specification information at the fingertips can be very handy for any buyer. For instance you could provide a rates list for your Product or Service in PDF format or offer a Free Report for download.
Click here for a sample
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3. To Sell Products & Services

Many people think that this is the number one thing to do with the Web, but we made it number three to make it clear that you should consider selling things online after you have done all the things above and so you are more likely to sell. There are also the logistics of selling physical items over the net, the VAT issues, Currency fluctuations, shipping & Packing costs, the extra space needed to prepare items for shipping.
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4. To Communicate with your Customer

You probably consider the telephone a tool that allows you to communicate with your customer, which in turn helps you sell things. Well, that's how you should consider the Web. The technology is different but before people decide to become customers, they want to know about you, what you do and what you can do for them or to Judge how competitive you are in relation to your competition.
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5. To Make Pictures Available

What if your product is great, but people would really love it if they could see it in action? The Web allows you to add sound, pictures and short movie files to your company's info if that will serve your potential customers. No brochure will do that. It is also a lot cheaper to send a link to a page by e-mail with your multimedia presentation on than to send out a printed brochure.
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6. To Answer Frequently Asked Questions

Whoever answers the phones/support desk in your business can tell you their time is usually spent answering the same questions over and over again. These are the questions customers and potential customers want to know the answer to before they deal with you. Post them on a website and you will have removed another barrier to doing business.
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7. To Stay In Contact With Salespeople

Your employees on the road may need current information that will help them make the sale or pull off the big deal. If you know what that information is, you can keep it posted in complete privacy online. A quick dial up can keep your staff supplied with the most detailed information, without delay or tying up the staff back at the office.
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8. To show people where to find you

Posting a map of your business premises online helps deliveries and sales callers to find you easily. This is particularly useful for Business Parks and Industrial Estates which are designed to confuse drivers! It saves time and money for both suppliers and clients. It also show that your compay is perpared and professional
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9. To Open International Markets

With a website you can open up a dialogue with international markets as easily as with the company across the street. Before you go on the Web, you should decideif and how you want to handle the international business that will come your way. Another added benefit is if your company has offices overseas, they can often access the home office's information for the price of a local phone call.
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10. To Serve Your Local Market

You now know about the power to serve the world with a website. How about your own local area? Whether you are located in Cork, Dublin, Galway or London, there are probably enough local customers with Web access to make it worth your while to consider Web marketing. This can be in the form of including your website address in your stationary, on any of your usual advertisements, or in the form of a news letter, banner or Google adword.
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