Why Every Business Needs a Website

By Jim Hollis

The days of opening the Yellow Pages to find a company have long passed. Today, if you want your promo business to be competitive and easily found by prospects and customers, you need a website. A whopping 97% of people turn to the internet to learn about local companies, according to a BIA/Kelsey study, making a website not an option but a necessity. But a strong online presence also helps your business in other ways than just being found. Let’s review how a website can grow your branding, build credibility, aid in digital marketing, strengthen customer service and more, all leading to increasing your success in the promo products industry.

Brand Awareness

Building a relationship with your end-buyer customers is very important, and your brand plays a big role. You want your promo business to be recognizable and trusted by prospects, increasing the likelihood that they’ll choose you when they need to order promo. A website is the first impression your business makes when a customer finds you. It allows you to clearly communicate your brand identity and differentiate yourself from competitors. Here are a few ways to use your website to grow your brand:

Give your website a look that’s consistent with your other marketing. Use the same logo, colors, font and design elements you have on other marketing materials, like business cards and brochures.
Although you can’t control what people say about you, you can shape your brand perception by telling your own story on your website. Use your website to convey your brand’s message, vision and mission.
Clearly state what you do better than competitors, so visitors instantly know what makes you special.
Establish a consistent voice throughout your website. Whether you want to use a very professional or more relaxed tone when describing your services doesn’t matter – it matters more that your language is the same to stay true to your brand.
If you have a tagline or slogan, make sure it’s visible on each page and find ways to incorporate it throughout the wording on your site.

Credibility

Having a website is crucial for increasing your business’s credibility. You have a lot of competitors – there are many other distributors selling promo. A professional-looking website will help you stand out. You can outline your products and services, highlight what you do best and detail your commitment to customer satisfaction. This will position you as more than a business – you’ll become a resource for end-buyers who need promo for their marketing campaigns. Without a website, it would be extremely difficult to establish this credibility and connect with customers so quickly.

Digital Marketing

If you plan to use digital marketing to increase leads and grow your promo business, you’ll likely want to drive traffic to a website or landing page. By leveraging your website’s historical traffic data, you can target the most qualified customers and maximize your ROI on ad spend. This setup can’t be done retroactively, so it’s best to get your website up and running early, even if you’re not currently planning to run ads. Then, when you’re ready to launch your marketing plan, you’ll have everything ready to go!

Customer Service

Pretty much every business receives calls from potential customers asking basic questions about location, hours of operation, products and services. Missing these calls can lead to dissatisfied customers and handling them can distract you and your staff from more important tasks. A website reduces these calls by providing essential information quickly, boosting internal productivity, saving time and improving the overall customer experience.

Supplement With Social Media

Relying solely on social media to attract new customers isn’t enough, as the average engagement rate for organic Facebook posts is low, ranging from 2.58% to just 1.52% as of July 2023 (according to Hootsuite). While a viral social post can change the future of your business, Forbes reports the chance of having a viral post is one in a million. If you expect it to happen, you’ll likely be met with disappointment. Supplementing your marketing with social media is definitely beneficial as it helps you build your brand and engage with customers, but it shouldn’t be the only aspect to your marketing plan. A website provides a reliable platform to control your content, ensure your audience can find you, and track analytics to understand visitor interactions. These are crucial aspects to growing your business.

As you can see, having an up-to-date and functional website for your promo business is a must if you want to increase sales and provide the best possible consumer experience. Plus, it’s the best way to convince new and recurring end-buyer customers to choose your business over another distributor.

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