Your Company Website: An Investment or an Expenditure?
by Ambrose Lee |
Your Company Website: An Investment or an Expenditure?
A business owner recently questioned me as to WHY a business should dedicate its time and money on a company website; the answers in my mind were populated with the reasons (cause) and the benefits and sacrifices (effect) of having one. But, my answer was simple - WHY NOT?
In contrast to many Malaysian beliefs, building and maintaining a corporate website is a relatively simple and inexpensive venture. A professional could build an extremely effective website in just over 4 weeks with all the necessary information and data readily available The Return-on-Investment (ROI) for a website is alone justifiable for investing in such a tool.
The ROI is calculated as the time it takes for the profit generated to equate to the amount of investment committed.
Since the amount invested is very small as compared to the potential profit, it takes only few months to justify the spending. One other good news is that a website generates businesses very much like a multilevel marketing tool (MLM); the response and leads grow EXPONENTIALLY
Although not every business requires a website, MOST businesses regardless of field and size can benefit from a well developed website A very obvious example is that of new or returning / loyal customers browsing through products / utilities on a website belonging to a trading house.
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Ambrose Lee
 He manages project development and also supports the overall sales execution and deal negotiation.
He devotes most of his time working with clients in achieving their business objectives by leveraging the power of web marketing / presence. |
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Moreover, the website could also catch the attention of interested suppliers and manufacturers who need a channel to sell their products There are both tangible benefits and even more intangible ones for a good website. I call this "Passive Business Benefits".
Wouldn't you like to send minimal amount of time and money that generates an ever growing sales and profitability?
A home business consisting of a husband and wife headcount, by using a website can project the high quality, service and reliability online, minus the skepticism of potential customers who tend to filter business dealings by the size and physical outlook of a company
In other words, the World Wide Web has levelled the ground for businesses of various sizes to facilitate competition. Look at what Yahoo! Inc. and eBay have done with a little ingenuity. They are prime examples of effective company branding without the barriers of physical limitation
I have summarized a table-of-reasons for individuals and businesses alike who are considering an investment in a corporate website.
Table-of-Reason
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1 |
Quick Return-on-Investment - due to low investment cost |
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2 |
Fastest and simplest tool for updating and marketing to customers |
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3 |
Ability to keep track and build on customer loyalty |
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4 |
Exponential growth of "Passive Business Benefits" |
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5 |
A good platform for small-medium enterprise and industry to compete equally |
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6 |
Enhances the ability to do business around the globe |
I hope this article has shed some light on the mystery of corporate website and in turn has helped you decide on the use of this tool to your business
In our next issue, we will discuss on the basics of building an effective website, and what is the difference between having a website versus having an online e-business.
