Sure, a Web presence is an essential marketing component for almost any small biz. But just how far you take it depends on the nature of what you do. For some businesses, a Web site that’s really an electronic brochure — an e-brochure — could be just the right touch. 

“Everyone in business selling a product or service should consider an online brochure,” says Samantha Beattie, a Bucks County, PA, Web designer specializing in small business sites. “As much as you need a color printed brochure or business card, you need a Web site to be part of your complete marketing package.”

 An e-brochure gives your Web-savvy customers the basics — who you are, what you do, where you’re located and how you can be contacted. 

Many Web developers sneer at the e-brochure genre because it doesn’t play to the strengths of the Web — interactivity and electronic transactions. (Also see “The Interactive Edge” in this issue’s Your Site department.) Simple sites are stale and uninteresting, they say, and won’t keep driving traffic to your table. 

But in the zeal to jazz up sites, there’s a danger of losing focus, of squandering scarce resources and confusing customers. A simpler solution may be needed. 

PRINT IT!

Want a paper-and-ink brochure to go with your e-brochure? For more on creating a great printed brochure, see the companion article “Boffo Brochures” in this issue of EB.

FAMOUSLY FLEXIBLE
If nothing else, an e-brochure is a flexible way to publish information about your biz. One of Samantha Beattie’s clients, Just France (just france.com), in Berwyn, PA, rents luxury properties in France for leisure and business travelers. Company president Cecil Jones first considered publishing an expensive printed brochure — as his competitors were doing. Then the idea of an e-brochure arose and Jones has never looked back. 

The Web brochure is far more flexible than any print product could ever be. Descriptions and photos of properties can be modified in minutes. The Just France Web site is focused purely on what customers demand — detailed information about each property. 

“People need to have a great deal of information about our product because they’re making vital decisions,” says Jones. “These are very expensive homes, and it’s important to them because they’re taking their family abroad on long-awaited vacations or celebrating a special event — the kind of thing where you don’t want to make a mistake.”

 Despite being a small business of eight employees, Just France makes its own changes to the site’s text. More extensive site updates are handled by a professional designer. 

Customers can check availability online, but can’t make reservations. “Booking is always done by phone, because we want to talk to the people,” says Jones. “We have to be careful about who we rent to. We’re dealing with high-quality properties that are worth a lot of money and have valuable furnishings. Our relations with owners are crucial. You can learn a lot about people over the phone, but you can’t learn much from a form filled out online.”

An e-brochure gives your Web-savvy customers the basics — who you are, what you do, where you’re located and how you can be contacted.

SITE-BUILDING STEP BY STEP
The keys to building an effective brochure site are simple enough if you’re willing to follow some guidelines:

 First, think strategically. What do you want to accomplish with your e-brochure? Write down your essential business information. Answer all the who, what, where, when and why questions a potential customer is likely to ask. 

“A small business should sit down and organize its information before calling a designer,” says Samantha Beattie. Do some research. Get on the Web and look at sites run by other small businesses. Plug some key words involving your line of business into a search engine and see what comes up. Look at what others are offering and what’s likely working — or not — for them. 

Next, sketch out a rough structure for how you want to organize the content on your site. Think in terms of multiple pages. Don’t try to cram it all on a single page. Nothing turns off Web users like slow-loading pages. Keep your images to a minimum and split your content across logical divides. Popular categories include: “About Us,” “Contact Us” and “Featured Products.” 

Even if you don’t know a thing about Web development, you can start writing the copy that will end up in your e-brochure. Later you can hire a professional to give it more polish.

 An e-brochure — like a printed brochure — doesn’t have to list every product or service you sell. Be selective if you like. Figure out what you should be pushing online — stuff that’s easy to ship, easy to describe or most in demand among the most likely online visitors. 

John and Anna Horn’s home-based business, Chadds Ford Design (chaddsforddesign.com), sells 19th century Theorem Painting folk art stencils via the Web, as well as through magazine ads, trade shows and a print catalog. A quarter of sales come from Web customers. 

In addition to information about Theorem Painting and stencil designs, the simple site includes “About Us” and “How To Order” pages. In lieu of online ordering, customers are directed to print out an order form or call by phone. 

After outlining your site plan, decide who will develop it for you. Most small biz owners who’ve been through the process recommend investing in a professional developer. As tempting as it is to have your neighborhood computer nerd design your site for little or no money, you might regret the move later. 

Who’s going to maintain the site? Samantha Beattie sees many businesses that somehow get a site up on the cheap, only to end up at her doorstep in desperation. 

“Don’t try to do it yourself,” cautions Jones of Just France. “If you’re trying to build a small business, you don’t have the time to sit down and build a good-looking Web site.” Although the Just France site was set up in 1997 by a computer-savvy college student, Jones later went with a professional to maintain and update the site for him. “I knew eventually the college guy was going to fade, and he did. The problem for many small businesses is finding the right professional who’s willing to do it in a reasonable time at a reasonable cost and keep it up.

SITE-BUILDING STEP BY STEP
The keys to building an effective brochure site are simple enough if you’re willing to follow some guidelines:

 First, think strategically. What do you want to accomplish with your e-brochure? Write down your essential business information. Answer all the who, what, where, when and why questions a potential customer is likely to ask. 

“A small business should sit down and organize its information before calling a designer,” says Samantha Beattie. Do some research. Get on the Web and look at sites run by other small businesses. Plug some key words involving your line of business into a search engine and see what comes up. Look at what others are offering and what’s likely working — or not — for them. 

Next, sketch out a rough structure for how you want to organize the content on your site. Think in terms of multiple pages. Don’t try to cram it all on a single page. Nothing turns off Web users like slow-loading pages. Keep your images to a minimum and split your content across logical divides. Popular categories include: “About Us,” “Contact Us” and “Featured Products.” 

Even if you don’t know a thing about Web development, you can start writing the copy that will end up in your e-brochure. Later you can hire a professional to give it more polish.

 An e-brochure — like a printed brochure — doesn’t have to list every product or service you sell. Be selective if you like. Figure out what you should be pushing online — stuff that’s easy to ship, easy to describe or most in demand among the most likely online visitors. 

John and Anna Horn’s home-based business, Chadds Ford Design (chaddsforddesign.com), sells 19th century Theorem Painting folk art stencils via the Web, as well as through magazine ads, trade shows and a print catalog. A quarter of sales come from Web customers. 

In addition to information about Theorem Painting and stencil designs, the simple site includes “About Us” and “How To Order” pages. In lieu of online ordering, customers are directed to print out an order form or call by phone. 

After outlining your site plan, decide who will develop it for you. Most small biz owners who’ve been through the process recommend investing in a professional developer. As tempting as it is to have your neighborhood computer nerd design your site for little or no money, you might regret the move later. 

Who’s going to maintain the site? Samantha Beattie sees many businesses that somehow get a site up on the cheap, only to end up at her doorstep in desperation. 

“Don’t try to do it yourself,” cautions Jones of Just France. “If you’re trying to build a small business, you don’t have the time to sit down and build a good-looking Web site.” Although the Just France site was set up in 1997 by a computer-savvy college student, Jones later went with a professional to maintain and update the site for him. “I knew eventually the college guy was going to fade, and he did. The problem for many small businesses is finding the right professional who’s willing to do it in a reasonable time at a reasonable cost and keep it up.

PRINT TO ELECTRONIC

Five things to consider when transforming a print brochure into an e-brochure:  1. Keep it simple. Avoid clutter and clashing colors. Divide the paper brochure into chunks that will fit into a single Web browser page — about two seven-line paragraphs.  2. Revise the text to suit online formats and online readers.  3. Open a dialogue with visitors by providing e-mail contact information. Be sure to assign responsibility for answering the e-mail you get. Web visitors expect quick responses.  4. Publicize the existence of your online brochure through search engines and by giving out the Web address in your other marketing pieces. (See “Promote Your Site” in this issue of EB.)  5. Update your site — add products, maintain an upcoming events section or pass along industry news to customers.

FINDING HELP
So how do you find a good Web site developer? Word of mouth is always good. Or go online and search for designers in your area. If you’ve seen a site on the Internet that you particularly like, contact the site owners and ask them who did the designing. 

Consider registering your own domain name. While some large companies offer free or low-cost sites to small business, your page will likely have a long, hard-to-remember Web address that is merely an extension of the big company provider. Registering your own domain is simple, cheap and will give your business its own Web identity. 

Build your e-brochure in stages from simple to more complex. There’s nothing wrong with an entry-level e-brochure Web site, as long as it looks professional and loads quickly. Information should come up immediately so people know they’ve come to the right place. It should be attractively presented and make them want to continue. 

If you operate an inn, for example, you probably want to open with a picture and text together because visitors to your site want to see your inn, not just read about it. 

That’s the case at The Lambertville House (www.lambertvillehouse.com), a family-owned historic inn located in Lambertville, NJ. According to Brad Michael, a family member, when the site was set up in 1997, it was a simple three pages with contact information, rates, one photo, links to local tourist organizations and a request for information via e-mail.

 The site has since added more photos, but the basic design — which works — has stayed the same. “It’s a virtual brochure for our inn,” says Michael. “People can see us before they come, and know what to expect.” The site receives about 20 hits per day, from people actively looking for a room. 

The Lambertville House relies on low-cost techniques to promote its site. For example, they’ve made sure that the local chambers of commerce and tourist bureaus link to them. And their Web address is mentioned everywhere, including the voicemail message, business cards, printed brochures and letterhead. 

Building a brochure site can put another marketing arrow in your business quiver. If you keep the site clean, professional and focused, you will have established a strong, 24-hour presence on the Web that can pay dividends for years to come. eB