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Articles Index >> Marketing
3 Reasons Your Website Might Fail To Attract
Enough Customers
by Michael Cheney
Virtually all website owners concentrate their efforts and energy into getting
more visitors. With business owners this effort is spent on getting more and
more new customers. What many people forget - with both their website and their
business - is that getting new customers (or visitors) is only a small part
of the equation for success.
Reason For Failure No. 1 - The 'I am God'-Syndrome
God got his name from being able to do anything and everything and be everywhere
at once. Despite what we are taught from an early age many people still insist
on believing they themselves are God. Ever found yourself answering the phone,
making a sale, running a sales meeting, welcoming customers and doing your company's
accounts all in one day? Sure you have. You're trying to be God and do everything
and be in more than one place at one time. You will fail. People do this with
their website too.
Rather than just stopping at providing content (which is where you should stop
and hand everything else over to the professionals) some people think that despite
no professional training or education in the subject they are experts in web
design, website marketing, graphic design and business consultancy. Remember
- stick to what you know, leave everything else to the experts. Your job is
to run your business - not to run around like a headless chicken trying to create
a website, market a website, do the books, answer the phones and make the tea.
Reason For Failure No. 2 - 'Build It And They Will Come'
Ah yes. The halcyon days of the early 1990s when anything seemed possible and
merely owning a domain name or funky web address meant certain success and riches
beyond your wildest dreams. "Build it and they will come" is what
they said. They were wrong.
Disaster after high profile disaster came crashing down into a pile of dotcom
carnage as the millions poured into the idea pit were consumed by fast-spending
entrepreneurs who possessed more pairs of trainers than they did explanations
for where the profit was going to come from. Just remember - there are more
web pages in the world than there are people so if you really think that just
building a website is enough it's time for a serious re-think. You've spent
the money on graphic design, content, domain names, hosting, web design and
testing and your site has just gone live. Congratulations - you have just completed
step 1 of 1000,001 in having a site that generates business for you.
You now need to market the site - just as you need to market your business
when it first starts - advertising, fliers, yellow pages, referrals, networking,
cold calls, direct marketing, mail shots, radio slots, events, conventions,
product launches, press coverage etc. A website is exactly the same. Don't forget
the new statement for the new age of new technology:
Build it and they will say - 'I can't find it!'
Reason For Failure No. 3 - You Choose The Wrong Website Marketing Company
It's difficult isn't it? There are so many to choose from how do you know where
to start? Well word of mouth recommendation is always a good indication. Failing
that you can look at the key areas that are likely to indicate the quality of
their service. For example, ask these questions;
- Do they offer guarantees of any kind on their results?
- Do they proudly display testimonials from satisfied customers on their website?
- What is their profile on the web like, can you find them easily?
- Do they have detailed case studies explaining how they have helped other businesses?
- Do they have a long-standing track record in the industry and wide client-base?
- There is no real way to avoid making the wrong decision but if you keep learning
more and more about website marketing you will be arming yourself with enough
information to at least reduce the risk of choosing the wrong company.
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