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Business Website Tools: The Trend to Web-Based Tools

What tools is your business using today to manage things?

Do you still have some software that is ONLY on a computer?

Wouldn't you like to access key business information from anywhere, anytime?

It's time to rethink your business website tools and adopt the trend to web-based tools!

business website tools trend to web-based

The tools have changed!  No longer do you need to install software with CD's and be dependent on downloading updates, managing details only when in the office, or hiring others to provide services for your team.  You've likely shifted your business software in many areas, but are you missing key areas that could help your business bottom line?

It's a web-based world!  I dive into the details of the key areas and opportunities for businesses to gain efficiencies by using web-based tools.

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badge itunes lrg Growing Business Online: Identifying your Ideal Customer

Business Website Tools: The Trend to Web-Based Tools

In this episode I reveal key areas a business needs to consider for their professional presence and needs.  The shift to web-based tools is in full swing and many businesses are seeing the benefits of the shift.

What are the key benefits of web-based tools?

  • Access anywhere
  • 24/7 capability
  • Manage items yourself/with your team
  • Provide better tools and solutions to web visitors
  • Increase revenues with new sales avenues on your site
  • Offer better support and reduce support costs
  • Automate marketing to effectively add more sales power to your team

Four Key Web-Based Areas for Business Website Tools

Responsive Website

This one's pretty basic but still so many businesses need to hear it!  A website with a fixed width is no longer sufficient for today’s needs.

The use of so many mobile devices requires businesses to ensure their websites adjust to fit the specific screen size of the viewer and that it organizes content for easier reading.

Mobile phone users constitute a large percentage of internet users. Currently, up to 80% of smartphone users utilize their mobile phones to shop online. Also, the conversion rate for mobile users is three times higher that of traditional laptop and desktop users.

For a business, having a responsive website grants access to an important, vital segment of consumers. Not investing in a responsive website is likely to lead to a significant loss in web traffic and ultimately sales as visitors move on to a competitor. A "responsive" website is a website that adapts to the device the user is viewing it on to display things in a helpful way to be consumed on that device.

Don't risk people clicking away and leaving because your website is mobile-friendly!  A key for businesses today to provide a good experience is to ensure their website is responsive.

Onsite Methods for Lead Capture

Converting website traffic to leads is important for generating sales. There are many ways to capture leads, an engaging way to capture leads and email addresses is a freebie with a form.

Freebie forms offer an incentive, some type of value, for customers to leave their information with a business. This opens up the way for businesses to contact potential customers for future purchases. The incentive could be a coupon or free, downloadable resource guide as simple examples.  The freebie/incentive needs to flow with your business and be relevant.  It also needs to offer enough value to truly incentivize someone to complete the form.

I manage two online software tools that have lead capture options.  TabSite has been our main Facebook App lead capture tool and it also includes website form embed options for lead sign-ups.  Our newest tool that is built just for website is Waftio.

Waftio - Lead capture for websites! 4 options to deploy:

  1. As a widget pop-up
  2. As a overlay pop-up
  3. As a embedded form on a web page
  4. On a landing page you direct traffic to.

Options include Forms, Sweepstakes, and Survey apps to use on your website or multiple websites.  Learn more about Waftio >

(TIP: Just for you, try Waftio at a HUGE discount: 50% off either plan for 3 months:  Use Code: 50offplans)

Waftio widget in lower right on a website. Set to automatically open (below) 5 seconds after page load.

Waftio widget in lower right on a website. Set to automatically open (below) 5 seconds after page load. This is a sweepstakes example.  Note the free training video resource offered!

 

This is the Waftio widget opened up. It shakes first to grab attention and then is ready for the visitor to input their information!

This is the Waftio widget opened up. It shakes first to grab attention and then is ready for the visitor to input their information!

TabSite - Lead capture for Facebook Pages and websites

  1. Add a app to your Facebook Page
  2. Embed a app form on your website
  3. Create a landing page with form capture

Advanced Business Website Tools

One area many businesses could use and need to use to create better tracking of prospects and to automate some marketing touch points is with a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool and ones that work best at saving you time and money include a Marketing automation option.  Marketing automation typically involves some type of lead capture and email marketing with ability to setup drip emails that deploy over time.

CRM & Marketing Systems

Zip Marketer  (coming 2016 from our team!)

Infusionsoft

HubSpot

RedTail CRM

SalesForce

Advanced website tools make your business’s processes more automated and efficient. It also makes marketing content and business products and services easier.

An online CRM software gives one the ability to group leads and customers, and the business can analyze their preferences and market to them more effectively. Make sure to compare a few CRM software options to find what fits your business needs (better yet, wait for the spring to try Zip Marketer! 🙂 ).

For example, tied with lead capture on your website, a CRM with email marketing can automatically send a follow-up sequence of emails to “drip” information to a prospect and even trigger different emails based on links clicked in a prior email. It’s about developing smarter online business processes.

Smarter processes = More sales with less time invested!

Advanced Business Website Tools for your Customers

One important area your business might be missing that can increase sales is in the area of advanced website tools for your customers.  These are tools that can be added to your site which extend features and items that allow site visitors and your client network to do more on their own online.  This is an efficiency increaser by allowing them to "sell themselves" more of your products and services. Some areas to consider and examples we have built include:

Dealer Portals & Distributor Lead Systems

Portals are great ways to efficiently provide information and needed resources to your dealers.  Any manufacturer with dealers can use this tool to deliver sales guides, marketing information, floor plans, spec sheets and more to dealers.  This is all handled behind secure logins and can be tailored to the needs of your business.

Ordering Systems

Private ordering systems can be of value to many companies.  Perhaps you are B2B but want to provide only sales to your business network who resells to the public.  What if you could control access and pricing on a per user level and give your network the ability they need to order online rather than calling your or faxing in information?  It's about creating efficiencies and allowing your customers to help themselves and order in real-time when they want, not just when your team is in the office.

Warranty Claim Systems

What if your business could empower customers to submit any needs they have online so that you can capture information, track issues, and resolve them quickly without fear of losing sight of the details?  Warranty claim web-systems can do just that.

In-House Experience

This is an example of giving website visitors their own tools to be able to help themselves buy from you.  A tool like the In-House Experience provides an experience where users can create their home exterior or create their ideal kitchen complete with granite, stainless steel appliances and more.  It's about putting the means in the hands of the users so they walk themselves down the sales funnel!

Create your own custom kitchen with this tool! It makes it fun and easy for visitors to make selections and ultimately helps them select you to build their dream home and kitchen!

Create your own custom kitchen with this tool! It makes it fun and easy for visitors to make selections and ultimately helps them select you to build their dream home and kitchen!

inside2

inside1

 

Build-a-Boat

Another web-based solution example from the boating industry is the ability to allow customers to build their boat right on your brand website and simply send it to the closest dealer who can finalize the sale!  Can you say..."That was easy!"?

Again, by moving to web-based systems you can put processes in place to increase sales.  It's like having a sales rep on the job at all times.

build-a-boat

 

Together, these keys are critical for a business serious about making the web work for them today.

Are you maximizing business website tools for your company?  Is your business needing to take the plunge and move to a online web-software to help your business grow?  Again, the keys a web-based tool can bring to your business in the long run are:

  • Increased sales
  • Decreased expenses
  • Leaner staffing
  • More real-time service
  • Providing better customer care
  • Better visitor engagement
  • Greater efficiencies

All of which can help the bottom line!

Next Doable Task:

It’s always about taking away learnings and applying them!

What’s your key takeaway that you need to do in the next 24 hours based on listening to this?

What's your biggest takeaway from my process?  Share below!

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Why the Halftime theme Mike?

I’m an Indiana Hoosier native where basketball is the top sport. Every team heads to the locker room at halftime to evaluate the first half and create a updated plan for the second half. That plan includes adjustments based on reviewing what worked and what didn't. The “halftime” is a key review point where the game stops, the team pulls away to huddle in the locker room away from the fans, and they come out prepared and ready to succeed in the second half.

That’s what this podcast is all about, taking the time to pull away for a bit to evaluate, learn, and set some strategies for your business to succeed in the second half. Join me by subscribing and let me be your “business halftime” to help you find great success going forward!

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