Do I Really Need a Website?
In a world where every business seems to have an online presence, isn’t social media enough?
Do you really need a website too?
Also, do people even have websites anymore?
The answer: you guessed it.
Yes, you need to have a website. Especially now!
Do I need to remind you about the great Facebook crash of 2021? When Facebook and Instagram went down- even though it was just for a few hours- millions of people were unable to even use messenger. Which, now that we’re out of it, seems like a little problem, but I know that I was thinking
“Oh my gosh I can’t even message this person who was trying to connect with me via Facebook with a job opportunity!”
We hadn’t shared contact info, and I had no way of finding her!
What about the influencers and brands who are making thousands of dollars every hour when people are viewing and interacting with their content...they were losing money every minute that they weren’t in front of people.
And although social media was only down for a few hours, it was long enough to drive home the point that
millions of people are building their business on someone else’s platform because, in the end, we are just numbers in the system.
It has never been more important to have a contingency plan and create something that will still drive people to your business, that belongs to you.
There are many reasons why investing in a website is a good idea when you are building your brand and online presence, and today we are going to talk about 5 reasons your business needs a website:
A website legitimizes your business.
Your website is the ultimate way to communicate with your customers.
The difference between followers and customers.
The magic of email marketing
Your website is your all in one place to do business
So let’s get started!
A website legitimizes your business.
People are going to google your business, whether you own a brick-and-mortar store, or you offer virtual services.
When was the last time you were wondering where to eat and you googled a restaurant to see the reviews and the menu?
Have you ever googled a product or a service before?
When you have a website with good SEO, your audience will be able to see you when they are looking for solutions to their problem. This automatically helps you stand out as a knowledgeable source and the answer they were searching for.
Your website is essentially your virtual storefront. And it is always open!
This is where customers get to view your brand and hear your unique story and vision!
When your customers get to know you, they start to see that you are providing value.
And this builds their trust.
We would all prefer to work with someone we trust rather than a name that just appears out of nowhere.
This is even beneficial if you do the majority of your sales locally or do business directly in your store. With your 24/7 storefront, you’re able to showcase your product or service, which draws people in!
Your website is the ultimate way to communicate with your customers.
I can’t tell you how many times I talk to business owners who say
“I am constantly answering emails and messages and phone calls from people who all have the same questions! How can I create one message that can respond to all of these people without me having to start fresh every time?”
Your website!
Having one place you can direct them that has all of the answers to the questions they might have is so valuable! You already know the questions your target audience asks, so why not save a step and have it all in one place?
You can use your social media pages to direct people to your website as well!
This brings me to my next point:
There is a difference between followers and customers.
Don’t get me wrong, followers are very important! And social media definitely has its place in your marketing strategy!
But not all of these people actually want to invest in your product or service.
When you direct people to your website from your social media page, not everyone is going to go. I mean, one of the main reasons we get on Facebook or Instagram is to scroll and have the visual experience of viewing people’s content. And most of us don’t want to be interrupted during our scrolling.
They might like your post and engage with it on that platform, but only a few will actually click on that link and venture onto your website.
But here’s the thing…
Those are your people!
They are the ones who are actually invested in your product. And if they aren’t ready to buy yet, they are at least interested in taking the next step to learn more. These people are your prospective customers!
This is where your site content and sales funnel can draw them in, provide value and get them to a yes!
Ok, we’ve got them to our website, but now what?
This is where we are going to discuss…
The magic of email marketing!
I know, I know, you’re probably thinking an email marketing list sounds silly. How could we possibly drive sales using something like email in 2021?
Email marketing is actually one of the number one sales strategies.
Let’s entertain this idea for a minute:
If, for some reason, your social media page goes down (I swear I don’t hate social media!), and you had no way to reach out to your audience, you could still send them a message directly to their email address. Your email list is yours. You can save a copy on a flash drive and bury that flash drive in your backyard for safekeeping.
Ok, maybe you don’t need to guard it that well, but you get the point.
Don’t build your entire business on someone else’s platform.
Just like not everyone will come to your website from their social media scrolling, not everyone will opt-in to your email list. But the ones who do are the ones who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer.
If you are able to send them a tailored message, directly to their inbox, you will be able to foster a relationship and provide even more valuable content to this community. So when it’s time to launch a program or pitch a service, they are already there and they are already ready to buy!
You won’t have to shout it from the rooftop. Your tribe is already invested.
An email also gives your business a personal touch. Again, we are more likely to buy from someone we know or feel like we know than from some stranger on the internet.
So really,
Your website is your all-in-one place.
From a blog to e-commerce, to appointment setting, to email marketing, your website can automate a lot of steps in your process. This is going to save you so much time and money.
Your clients will prefer a more automated process as well. This is also going to make you stand out as an authority in your niche-building that trust factor. So even if your customers don’t know you personally, they feel better about investing in what you have to offer.
To wrap things up...
In this world, it’s never been more important to have an online presence.
And the most consistent way to do that is by investing in a website.
Whether you are building your website on your own, or you have a dedicated professional who is taking care of it for you, this doesn’t have to be a difficult or scary process!
You have so much to offer to the world!
If you’re ready to take the plunge and invest in a website, contact me for a free consultation call, and we can get started!
