The first article of the year is brought to us by special guest, Sachin.

nerd 200x300 Savings from Smart Website Design and Web based ApplicationsSmart and intelligent website design will do more than integrate with your social media marketing and provide the platform for your online marketing strategy. With intelligent integration of smart web-based business solution effective web design will save you a lot of money. Most business owners think of a website as something that is money spent on marketing, but actually we can remove costs in other areas of our business while we make money. Online shopping stores have had the head start on every other business when we look at removing costs and making money, but that does not mean that the same mentality cannot be applied to your business. Let’s look at some of the ways we can save money, and make money with a site that has inbuilt browser-based applications.

  • Reducing communication costs. Have you thought about supplying 24/7 support services for your customers. With VOIP (Video Over Internet Protocol) technology, even instant messaging, you can have people working for your all over the world at lower costs as they communicate to your customers through your website. They could even be making a call that is directed through your website – how funky is that? Utilising low cost people because they are in lower cost regions makes real sense. You will make more money because you are providing a better service while you save.
  • Reduction of IT costs. If your business has a large mainframe, you will probably need a Windows terminal emulator so your people can communicate with it. If you have new suppliers around the world, they will all need those applications. That was the case before. You can have your terminal emulation application built in, or as a part of your website, and reduce your IT costs. This is only one example and a very sophisticated one, but it does show what can be done. You can implement expansion without having to set up the IT architecture for new local representatives because it is already there – it is online.
  • Application integration replacing employees or contractors. Unfortunately for us out there who need a job, smarter applications are reducing the need for people in all industries. You don’t need an accountant and stock manager like you used to because you online applications are managing all that for you. I run my small business and my site collects my payments, sends out invoices and puts it all together for the taxman at the end of the year. Yes, I don’t need an accountant. Sorry about that!
  • Market researching costs. Market research is one of those costs at the end of the budget. It is the first to go when times are tough. Smart sites do it all the time. They collect information on whoever is visiting your site and more. If you are a business and looking to expand one day, you could put a portion of your business online. As that online business makes money, it saves you money by gathering data, and could point you in the direction of a new location for expansion. Perhaps you did not know your services were in so much demand in Colombia, for example.

Everyone is excited about Facebook and social media networking. It is time to look at Facebook and realise it is an online application doing a whole lot more. How could your website be saving you money and making you money, at the same time?