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Return on Investment
"Return on Investment" is an overused term. But the concept, at least with websites, seems to have been missed in many web designers' plans.
It is used as a unit of measure for: "don't want to toss your
money out of the window and look like a fool." In the case of
building and marketing a website, the same is
true. And, with the mystical quality of the web, computers and
all of that geeky stuff, how can you really know if your website
is doing what it's supposed to?
...And what the heck is it
supposed to do anyhow?
On Spies and Web Marketing
To really understand the the return on your web site and marketing effort, you must set up methods to measure ahead of time.
All businesses have to watch how they spend their money, and that includes money spent on web consultants. Trouble is, many aren't used to measuring effects of marketing. So when I'm asked when a website will pay for itself, a good first step to answering is to get a list on paper like this one.
Example business problems list
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Our competition is eating our lunch.
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Our market has no clue we exist.
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We spend too much time on the phone with non-buying prospects.
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Our billable hours are far too low.
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We're losing customers to on-line buyers.
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Our yellow page ad isn't working.
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Nobody ever looks past our home page on the website.
Some can be addressed with a smartly designed site and marketing, others can't. My job is to help you find those ways. Forget fancy promises and flashy animations, pre-planning meetings and PowerPoint decks. I'm here to give real help.
A few ways your site can earn its keep:
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New prospects find you, like you, and make contact.
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Existing customers get what they need on line.
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You are getting information about customers you can use everywhere.
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Your confidence is bolstered by proudly sending people to your site.
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The site supports other sales activity, such as product documentation.
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The site helps you understand your customer via surveys.
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It helps you understand your customer by watching them.
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Your website is taking orders and providing on-line sales support.
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Your website is freeing customer service staff by providing many answers on-line.
So go ahead and make a list - send it to me. I will do my best to give you some ideas you will find truly useful, no matter who you hire to help (if anyone.)