What Is an Online Business without a Lead Capture Page?

A lead capture page provides a summary of the services you provide and allows only potential customers onto your site. One of the benefits of having a lead capture page is that you are able to know the people who visited your site. As the name suggests, a lead capture page (LCP) is designed to capture your prospects’ contact information. You will get their name, email address, and phone number that you can use for follow up. Are we clear on what a Lead Capture is?

Well then, if we are, let’s talk about its importance on your online business or website. There are so many Kenyan businesses with websites but very few are reaping the full benefits of these sites in terms of monetary value. One of the reasons this happens is because they have no way of knowing who visited their website and what they were looking for; a LCP helps you to know who was on your website and what they were looking for. With a LCP you will establish real shop online where you communicate with your customers to know what is in demand and what you should stock.

To answer the topic question, I would first ask, how much does a closed business make? Nothing, right? The same thing with a business without a lead capture page, it makes no business sense to have visitors at your shop only to find it closed. An online business without a LCP is like a closed business. Waiting for clients to come at your shop call you to make a purchase; most probably they will go to the next shop. A LCP ensures that your clients leave a contact address with you that you can call to initiate a deal.

The beauty of marketing a website with a lead capture page is that you are able to measure the effectiveness of your advertising by the number of leads you capture. So the answer to the question “what is an online business without a landing page?” is, it is a closed business. A lead capture page is the “now open” sign on your online business. Therefore if any business in Kenya is to conduct its business online and reap all the benefits, it will require the use of lead capture pages. Most marketing managers, are looking for ways and means to incorporate internet marketing in their strategic marketing plan, LCP is a perfect way to start.

My Dad Has Ditched the Nation

The means of communication and dissemination of news has changed drastically in the last two years. Most people are using the new media to get daily news they used to get from news papers, radio, and television. I didn’t appreciate this fact until recently.

As far as I can recall, my dad, being in the generation that valued carrying a news paper –it was a sign of class- has been buying the nation news paper. I mean, he has been buying nation news paper since he was employed right after independence. My father prefers the Daily Nation, which he claims to have leveled headed news and political views. Every day as he came home, he would have a copy of the daily news paper that he would read from front page to the last page. But I was shocked recently when he came home without one.

My father came home without the news paper! Well, at first I thought maybe he left it in the office. But when he came home the second day without it, I had to ask. And this is where I knew, my father has ditched the Nation. He talked of internet connection in the office as the management tried to boost the way they do business.

He had learnt to use the Google or gologolo as he would call it. He also gave me his email address and he thought it was the opportune time we closed our private mail box at the post office, which I fervently opposed. As we engaged in politics and other national issues (his favorite subjects), I discovered he had been to wikileaks and other site where he got a lot of information.

After talking and watching him as he excitedly talked about his sources of information, I realized that companies that are still deluded about the impact of the internet access in Kenya are really going to have it rough in coming years. Advertising in the news papers, TV, and radio will no longer be worth the money they are paying. The internet is the new media where people have to learn how to advertise and do business. Having a website is not enough; your online presence is required for your business to reap the benefits on the internet.

Why Internet Market is Important For Small Businesses in Kenya

For any business to grow, it requires to grow its market. Competing with the multinationals and other well established in Kenya in advertising in the traditional medium is difficult for small businesses, but with internet marketing, this is where they are able to compete with the big players in the market. The internet is like a market place, whoever shouts the loudest, gets people to come his way. Such basic aspect of marketing are not lost when it comes to internet market. So here are some of the important things you should have when you are in the market place.

1.       The Stall

 In traditional market place, traders compete for the best positioned stall, this is the same in online business where you are required to create the best domain name for your website –the website is your stall on the internet.

2.       Display

Traders will display their products in such a way that is attractive to the clients/customers. In online business, your website design determines whether clients will be willing to use it. This is why you should invest time and money in making a user friendly website. Further, a user friendly site ensures return customers, but this should be coupled with superb customer service while on the site.

3.       Advertising

For the traditional business in the market place, you will find somebody employed purposely to try and make people get into the shop or stall; am sure you have encountered those people telling you “karibu customer”. Now, this is where now the internet marketing comes in online business. For you to be effective in online business, you must be able to advertise your website to as many internet users as possible. This means advertising on social media, placing ads strategically, blogging about your products or services, writing informative articles about your site, and posting Press Releases about the products you are selling. This part of internet marketing is what many website owners have forgotten or have ignored hence making it difficult for them to be seen on the internet.

4.       Making the Deal

Now, after advertising creating a website with the best design and advertising, it comes to the most important part –making the deal. There has been several ways that this has been done. People are using Mpesa to pay for products and services offered online while others are using platforms such as