SEO Denver

Two Key Inclusions for a Start Up Business Web Page

Managing sales, finance and production are all challenges to a start up enterprise.  New company operators rarely bring a complete package of experience to their new management role – especially in the area of managing the sales effort.  Accordingly, many good, small business enterprises struggle to develop good prospecting and sales systems.

A major ally in prospecting for new clients has emerged though, as the internet allows even small companies to reach large numbers of prospective clients.  In fact, many successful small businesses have enjoyed an increased revenue stream resulting from use of the internet in their overall market strategy.

Referring to internet sales as “on-line selling” may be a bit misleading though, as actually selling a product or service usually involves first establishing trust between prospective purchaser and seller.  Building trust is an interpersonal task and building trust via the internet is a challenge.  “People buy from People” as purchasers want to buy from an individual that will stand by the product or service should unexpected events occur.

Global companies pour huge sums into website development and internet research.  The value to these companies is clear – a highly focused web page can yield increased revenue.  Social networking, ordering on line and other (Software as a Service or SaaS) business models all provide testimony as to the ability of small enterprises to use the internet to support their sales efforts and build a customer base.

New start-up businesses must attract attention to generate revenue.  The internet is an important part of this strategy just as it is for major companies.  A web page that accurately delivers useful information can act as a company sales representative on a 24 hour basis.

Many methodologies are available to help the small business reach potential customers that need the product or service.  Localization is one such method that allows businesses providing service to particular geographic areas.  Organizations such as ones providing Water Utility Consulting or a Denver Graphic Designer, can utilize the search engines and internet to compete for business nationally or just in the central Colorado community.

Of course many small enterprises cannot invest huge amounts of money into an internet sales or marketing program.  These programs cost real money.  However, a new business should take advantage of this medium to reach out to potential customers by distributing useful data and information via the company website. 

Using a web page to attract readers is a challenge that many new business operators have little experience meeting.  There are a couple simple rules for developing web page content that can help the start up enterprise use the internet to compete for traffic and to begin building a customer base. In short, the website must contain two particular elements – a:

• Specific call to action
• Clear “Value Proposition”

Call To Action:

Sales managers worldwide continually exhort their troops to “ask for the sale!” Asking for the sale is the call to action that organizations request of those they are dealing with.  With a web page however, actually asking for the sale may be inappropriate if the reader has just clicked onto the site.  Asking the reader for a more risk-free response – such as providing her/his contact information is usually more effective. 

New clients may not buy on line initially, but may be quite interested in learning how the small businesses products/services can benefit them.  The web page ‘call to action’ then can be something as simple as asking the reader to fill out a simple response form so that the company can begin building an email network of prospects.

Value Proposition

The web page needs to communicate a reasonable expectation of the value the product or service delivers.  Without setting these expectations, the potential customer has nothing upon which to base his decision to purchase and no way to calculate a return on his investment should he become a paying client.   Bold result statements such as “cut production costs by 15% by…” get the reader’s attention, inspire her/him to keep reading and provides a way for the prospect to calculate a Return on Investment (ROI).

Accomplishing these two message objectives can greatly improve the amount of revenue the small business can generate.  The website is an effective communication tool that can reach out to potential clients as well as compete with large companies to deliver valuable goods and services.