Your Lobby on the Internetby Malcolm Fraser

I have been throwing around the following statement lately:
"Most companies spend more money on their reception than they do on their web site."

It is an incendiary statement, but the sad part, it is true far too often. At ISL we are constantly referring to web sites as "Assets". And we mean this in the very quantifiable balance sheet meaning of Asset. Just as you would consider the investment in your building, a new location, or your office reception, as a capital expenditure, a one time cost that has a multiyear life span, and adds tangible value to the company.

As a business leader it is important to recognize that more people visit your on-line location in a month, than your physical location. If you do not know whether this statement is true or not, or if you have less people visiting your website than your physical location, then you should be concerned.

Many companies put care and planning into their storefronts, lobbies, and other physical locations. The same amount of thought needs to be put into the most widely visited storefront every company has, your web site.

With the mass adoption of the web as the primary research and decision-making tool for consumers, it is time to start changing our approach on how we invest our effort in reaching and impacting our existing and potential customers.

Comments, would love to hear them… ceo@isl.ca