Developing a website that is truly interactive and engages your customer can be a
costly expense but it doesn't necessarily have to hurt your organization's bottom line.
Some websites actually save an organization money because they eliminate costly print
materials, customer service overhead and improve quality control and customer relations.
When trying to figure out how to pay for your website you need to
understand what your website will accomplish. If your website is a marketing tool then you
need to treat it as any other marketing effort or campaign and take a look how it fits
into your organization's overall marketing plan.
Many organizations will find the necessary funds to pay for their
website by looking at the various functions the site has and how it might save the
organization money. Take for instance the case of an association that prints a monthly
newsletter. By creating an online newsletter the association can save printing, mailing
and fulfillment costs.
In the manufacturing industry thousands of dollars are spent on
catalogs and price sheets. The Internet is providing a way for manufacturers to post
product and services online for distributors to view whenever they choose.
Other organizations will develop an online sponsorship or
advertising program. If your website attracts a specific audience, other companies may view
your website as a "center of influence." This opens up the opportunity for you
to offer companies sponsorship and advertising programs that help them reach your audience
with their message.
Other organizations will develop a site and build "Interest
Targeted Communities" this enables them to rent space within their site by clustering
products or services that appeal to the same targeted audiences.
