A Web Site can do many positive
things for a business. It can:
Reach
beyond your local area to find new customers / Sell nationally,
internationally
Until
now, the only way a small business could market to customers
outside their local area was by using expensive advertising
media. Most companies can't afford regional or network radio
and TV advertising, or expensive national magazines. But
with a Web site, they now have the vehicle necessary to
very cost-effectively reach the vast Internet community
- throughout the United States and the World!
Strengthen
your ties with customers, employees and distributors
Many
people think of a Web site strictly as a sales medium
to acquire new business. But many companies are starting
to recognize the Web's potential for providing stronger
ties with existing customers - which in turn helps keep
them as customers. One way this can be done is with email
response forms. When you give your customers the opportunity
to provide you with feedback, and get them to tell you
what your business is doing right and wrong, you can respond
to their needs more effectively. You can also provide
new product and service information and FAQ's to answer
questions (which can help free up valuable internal resources).
Enhance
other promotional efforts by cross-marketing them with your
Web Site
Once
you develop a Web Site, you have established a place for
people to view updated information about your business
- as often as they want and whenever they choose. One
of the best ways of getting people to your Web site is
using these marketing media - your newspaper and magazine
ads, direct mailings, radio & TV spots, newsletters,
brochures, catalogs, business cards, letterhead, etc.
- to point them there by putting your URL (web address)
on everything that has your name, address and phone number.
Keep
product and service information current/lower marketing
costs
One
problem many businesses face with traditional media is
trying to keep costs down, while keeping information current.
For example, you may spend a great deal of time deciding
on the proper content and layout of a brochure and then
wait weeks for them to be printed. With a Web site you
can update your materials as often as you like with little
or no production cost and almost instantaneous distribution.
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The
answer is NO! We
currently have many clients who do not have Internet access
- or even a computer - who are using their Web Site to
take orders, increase sales, offer comprehensive marketing
information and provide valuable customer service support.
With that said, it is also true that a Web Site
can be even more effective when coupled with Internet
Access and an email address. Recent Web Marketing
Surveys have shown that Web users prefer responding
to a businesses that provide on-line capabilities (i.e,
email response forms, on-line ordering, etc.). If you
do have, or plan to get, a computer for your home or business,
GroLen will be glad to consult with you on what is needed
and how to set up for on-line capability to integrate
with your Web Site. Contact
Dave Guilmette for further information.
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Although
we could talk about our 8+ years experience in providing
quality Internet Access service and effective Web Site design
to businesses in New Hampshire, or discuss the excellent
sales, design, search promotion and service support staff
we offer, or describe our state-of-the-art technical capabilities
. . . . we really prefer to let our Web
Development Clients and their Web Sites do
the talking for us!
These include Area Accommodations, Education
Institutions, Manufacturers, Maritime Companies, Organizations,
Real Estate, Recreational Businesses, Restaurants, Service
Businesses, Chambers of Commerce, and Retail and Shopping.
For an appointment to discuss the possibilities for your
business, contact Dave
Guilmette at Grolen.Com.
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Yes,
you certainly can! Today, with the various software packages
and books available on the market, making a web page is
easier than ever. But the questions then become . .
Is
it in the best interest of your business for you (or
having a friend or relative) create your Web Site?
Even
though you may have Desktop Publishing software, do
you create your own catalogs and brochures, or do you
use professional advertising agencies and printing companies
to do this for you?
Will
it be more cost effective in the long run to save the initial
development cost by doing it yourself and hoping for success,
or having Grolen, with 100 area business clients and 6 years
experience in Web Site design and promotion, consult with
you to help you reach your marketing objectives and maintain
a successful Web presence?
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In order to design and format
your Web Site, we need you to provide us with the following:
Photos:
Remember
that the World Wide Web is a visual medium. If you have photos
of your products, services, place of business or even yourself,
we can (and should) include them. We can use existing brochures,
pamphlets, catalogs, etc. to scan from, as well as photos.
Logos:
Again,
we can always use your existing literature to work from. Usually
the logos on brochures, letterhead, etc. are more than adequate.
If you have (or can get) your logo in electronic file format,
we can accept .gif, .jpg., and .tif files (if you
have an image file that is not listed here, contact us first)
on either PC or Mac formatted diskettes (or they
can be attached to an email message sent to us). If you have
logos in a line art format we can scan from that.
Text:
If you
have (or can get) the text-based information you want on your
site in electronic file format, we prefer it this way. Acceptable
file formats are .doc, .rtf, .txt and .xls on PC or Mac formatted
diskettes (or sent via email). Our next preference
is to scan text from a printed page. Handwritten text is strongly
discouraged (and costs extra).
25
Word Description & Keywords:
Most Web
surfers use WWW search engines and directories to find your
web site. These search sites use either a description or keywords
in their search. Your description should include the words
or phrases that someone might use to search for your business/products/services.
You can submit as many keywords that you can think of. Remember
these are words someone might use to try and find your site
(i.e., New Hampshire gifts, or vacation lodgings, etc.), so
think of yourself as a potential visitor to your web site.
Wallpaper
Background Textures or Colors
If you
don't have a specific background image you would like us to
use for your site, you can choose from a group of pre-selected
textures or colors that we can incorporate into your site.
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How
do people find my Web Site?
Search
Engines / Search Directories
One
way prospective customers or clients can find your Web Site
is World Wide Web Search Engines and Directories. These can
be thought of as individual "Yellow Pages Directories"
that people use to find web pages using relevant keywords
or phrases.
With the Internet growing at an explosive pace, these search
sites are becoming more important. At last count there
were over 500! These are almost all free services,
with each having different formatting & submitting requirements.
Some of these catalog a database of all Web Sites submitted,
some use "spiders" or "robots"
that search all of the pages on the Web to find your
Web Site.
First GroLen has spent a great deal of time learning the proper
method of designing and formatting your Home or Index Page.
This includes the correct use and placement of a 25
word description, keywords, proper HTML formatting and coding,
etc. We have also done extensive research into the correct
information and submission formats required by each of these
search sites. GroLen provides a Search Engine and
Directory Web Site Registration service to our clients.
When your site is completed and approved, the next step is
to submit all appropriate information (in the proper formats
for each) to the top 20+ of these Search Engines and
Directories.
Strategic
Linking / Email Promotion
Some
people believe that Search Engines are the best (and only)
way your site will be found. This is not always correct. In
fact many of our most successful clients have learned to use
"strategic linking" to gain more traffic to their
sites.
What is strategic linking? Let's say you own a retail store
that sells golf clubs and equipment with a Web Site to market
your products. By doing some research you discover that 2
popular golf and country clubs in your area also have Web
Sites. You could contact them, ask if it they would mind if
you put "links" to their Web sites in exchange for
their doing the same for your site. When people visit Golf
Course A's Web Site to inquire about reserving tee times,
they notice that the link to your site and discover you sell
clubs - and they just happen to be in the market for clubs!
This will work in reverse as well.
Another method is simple email promotion.
You could create an email "mailing list" in much
the same way you create "postal" mailing lists.
You could develop a simple promotional email message (Web
Site introduction, new product availability, special Internet
sale - all with your Web Site address, etc.) that could be
sent out to all on this list. Since emailing costs virtually
nothing, this becomes a very cost-effective way to
promote your site, and market your products/services.
Traditional
Advertising Methods
Once you
develop a Web Site, your URL (web address)
should be put on EVERY SINGLE THING THAT HAS YOUR
BUSINESS NAME ON IT!
Make sure to include it . .
in your newspaper or magazine ads
on your letterhead and business cards
in
your radio or TV spots
on any brochures or catalogs
anywhere
that you have your business address and phone number!
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On-line
Web Commerce is the reason that the World Wide Web has seen
such explosive growth, and has become the fastest growing
communications medium in world history!
You can now easily and securely take credit card orders right
from your Web Site. In fact, recent surveys show that consumers
now prefer shopping from Web sites that offer on-line ordering
capability! GroLen can help you find the solution
that fits your on-line commerce needs.
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Your
URL (web address) will become as much a part of your businesses'
identification as your street address or phone number. GroLen
offers two different options for storing your Web Site files.
1)
We can place your completed Web Site files in a sub-directory
of our domain name. Your URL would be www.grolen.com/yourcompany.
2) If you would like to have your own
domain name - www.yourcompany.com - a few
additional steps are required.
-
First, a domain name of your choosing would have to
be searched for availability. If available,
interNIC, the company that administers domain
name registration for the Internet, would be contacted
with registration information. A $70 fee, payable
to interNIC, is required for a 2 year registration of
that name. GroLen has a Domain Registration
fee of $49.95 for completing and submitting the application
in its proper format.
-
Second, we then place your Web Site files on our server
in their own top-level directory. This allows you the
ability to perform your Web Site updates via
FTP, if so desired.
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