"I don't need a website. My website is fine."
A lot of B2B companies have great websites and solid online strategies. But there are WAY more companies in this category that have some catching up to do.
Neglected websites are often explained with one of the following statements:
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It's just not a priority for us and our business.
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Our product / service isn't sold online.
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Our business is predominantly relationship-based. Our online presence isn't important.
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We're not tech savvy. Complicated websites intimidate us.
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Oh, we keep meaning to do that, but it keeps falling down the priority list. Websites are so much work to maintain, anyway. It’s not where we want to devote resources.
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…or some variation of the above
So, to that we say, "Consider this…"
Table Stakes
No matter who you are talking to and who your business partners are, people are going to look at your website at some point. If your website doesn’t look good, you lose the opportunity to make a good first impression, which, as we all know, is the most lasting one.
Establish Brand Confidence
When you put some effort into how your website is presented, it conveys confidence. Your business partners, staff and clients have more pride in your organization. That confidence creates a feedback loop that will increase the number of people who know about you. Your existing audience will feel more excited about sharing your website.
Strategic Business Value
Once the right foundation is in place, there are plenty of ways that your website and digital presence can get to work making you money and saving costs.
Acquire Leads
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Host good content that allows more prospects to find you.
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Provide a resource for your sales people and a way to reinforce your message.
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Enforce consistency in your messaging, features and benefits.
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Generate excitement and interest.
Convert Leads and Close Sales
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Show experience and capabilities that help build trust.
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Provide detailed information around what people are looking for when doing their due diligence.
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Introduce all of your products and services, not just what you're selling at the moment.
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Ask for the sale through a call-to-action
Retain and Grow Clients
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Showcase your ongoing success and breadth of capabilities.
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Maintain sustained engagement. You’re "always open" online.
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Streamline operations and serve your clients faster...with personalized information.
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Use your data to upsell, cross sell and renew.
Cost Savings
From a purely cost-saving perspective, digital tools can help cut down inbound support calls as well as the cost of print & mailing. For many organization the ROI on adopting technical solutions is practically instant.
Future Proofing
If you haven't started to plan what your ecommerce strategy could be, you'll be caught off guard one day. Some part of every business - whether it is the initial sale, support, renewals, or follow-ups can be done as an online transaction. It is more cost effective to build your strategy over time than it is to play catch up later.
Strengthen and Deepen Relationships
Digital tools and a good online presence enhance a relationship-based approach. There are proven solutions designed to take business relationships to the next level, particularly when it comes to delivering targeted content to specific prospects and existing customers at the right time.
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Digital automation tools can help with the job of keeping audiences connected and keeping relationships alive.
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Analytics that measure engagement help you prioritize who to connect with first.
You owe it to the long term success of your company to understand how to bring digital into the fold in a cost effective manner.