Even though I create websites as a professional I don’t think that everyone needs a website. But I do believe that anyone can benefit from having one depending on their purposes.

Some people think of a website as just an online brochure or a sales tool. But those models don’t work for everyone or for all purposes. Maybe you don’t have a business. Or maybe you do have a business but you have more customers than time to service them.

Here are some uses you may have not considered. And if you do have a website, are you missing out on opportunities to do more with yours? Contact steve@addedvalueweb.com  (or call 248-470-3468) to find out how to do more with a new or existing website.

• Promote your products, services, organization
• Promote yourself, your expertise, your reputation
• Post your business policies
• Post your human resources policies
• Get found by customers on search engines
• Share your ideas, opinions, jokes, photos
• Find a job; show your portfolio
• Post your new patient forms for downloading
• Recruit volunteers
• Recruit, hire employees; orient and train them
• Announce your events, register people
• Sell your products, services
• Solicit donations
• Campaign for office
• Advocate for a cause
• Save costs
• Speed up sales
• Handle customer objections
• Convert inquiries and leads into sales
• Find new customers; retain current customers; reconnect with past customers
• Create a memorial or tribute
• Post your presentation slides and materials
• Fan club
• Fun, hobby
• As a 24/7 representative of your company
• Build a community of common interests
• Share opinions with others
• Exchange recipes
• Borrow tools, loan tools (or books)
• Book reviews, book club
• Restaurant, movie reviews
• Share pictures, sound and other files
• Answer frequently asked questions
• Conduct a survey or poll
• Improve branding, image
• Reach a market – local, regional, national, international, global
• Reach a specialized market
• Test new products and services
• Simulate events and concepts
• Solicit feedback and suggestions
• Start a movement
• Spread ideas
• Educate, train
• Update information quickly
• A sales tool outside the office
• Reward clients
• Run contests
• Communicate with your target audiences in their own language
• Improve communication
• Podcast
• Go viral!
• Change communication from one-to-one into one-to-many
• Broadcast information; narrowcast information
• Share basic business information
• PR tool; improve reputation; create new image
• Expand your product or service offerings – exclusively online
• Communicate with audiences worldwide
• Cross-sell, up-sell, add-on
• Give customers a way to spread the word about you
• PTA, band boosters, scout troops
• Disaster communications
• Family sites, family reunion
• Make life easier
• Pre-ordering
• Build an appetite
• Offer classified ads
• Play with the big guys
• Facilitate knowledge building
• Enhance marketing effectiveness
• Because people expect it
• Because the competition is doing it!