We know, we know, you hear us say it all the time, but it’s true. Your company needs a website. Right now.
We are well aware of the many excuses not to have one:
“It’s too expensive.”
“I make enough sales without one.”
“Last time we got one it failed, so we’re not doing it again.”
“I’ve got Facebook, what more do I need?”
“I’m already listed in my Chamber of Commerce’s website.”
“What’s a website?”
If you thought of one or more of these responses to our statement, allow us to outline why exactly we’re so insistent that you need a website in the first place.
Traditional Strategies Don’t Work Like They Used To
Even though traditional marketing is still around, such as networking (which does help in more cases than not), other strategies such as flyers are not seen as the effective marketing strategies they once were. If anything, most flyers and printed advertisements you receive in the mail tend to be considered junk mail instead of valuable content, so they’re shoved straight into the recycling bin instead of embedded into people’s minds.
What’s the best way to reach out to people instead? Simple: diverse marketing strategies. By diverse we mean using traditional strategies with online marketing ones that go hand in hand. That being said, for any good strategy such as content or social media marketing to succeed, you need the basics first which includes—you got it—a website.
Not Having a Site is Expensive
Yes, you read that right. It’s actually more expensive to print and distribute brochures and flyers to spread awareness about your business than it would to pay for an actual website. Going back our junk mail example, think of all the money you spent on those flyers only for them to end up being recycled without ever being looked at! A website, in contrast, is a virtual brochure that doesn’t end up being thrown out, and with enough good planning and design, it can become something people will visit repeatedly.
The number of new customers accessing your website can grow too. Over 2.4 billion people use the Internet every single day now. Plus, over 90% of those people have bought something online in the past year from a website. So not only is it more expensive to not have a website, but also you could be missing out on that kind of growth without one.
People Want to Know About You
Whenever you hand out a business card, a website is what people tend to look for—that’s the standard reaction nowadays. Going back to the Chamber of Commerce excuse we mentioned before, that is an example of being listed on a website—it’s not even remotely the same thing as having a website yourself.
A lot of the time, people want to know the following:
“Who are you?”
“What are you selling?”
“Why should I buy from you exactly?”
“What makes you any different from other companies?”
If they try to get hold of you after you’ve handed them your business card but there’s no website to visit, nor can they get hold of you on social media, then you’ve already lost their interest. Even having a bad website is better than having no website at all (and that’s saying something, coming from us! Granted, having the best website from the get-go is the best solution of all.).
So, let people get to know your business better. Get a website for your business, make sure the contact information is clear and easy to find, and then keep working on ensuring you’re visible online. This is pretty much the standard way to get to know new businesses nowadays, and it’s more cost-effective than sending out flyers.
Your Audience Has Changed…And So Have You
Let’s face it, the world has changed so much in the past ten years. We’ve seen these changes for ourselves; after all, we have worked in the website industry for over twenty-five years! That means your audience has changed, too. Maybe some of your customers still prefer to use the phone; that’s fine. What’s less than fine is catering to this one means of communication alone, when the facts are all too clear: everyone goes online to find what they need. If you don’t have a website even in this day and age, or if your website hasn’t caught up with the times, customers are less likely to want to trust you. Isn’t it about time you caught up with the rest of us?
At the end of the day, deciding on getting a website is ultimately up to you as the business owner. If you already serve on a local scale, things are organized enough to ensure everyone’s satisfied, and you have enough customers day in and day out, you might not need a website. However, if you want new customers to find you online, or you want your business to grow and prosper, or you have trouble staying in touch with every single customer, or your sales aren’t enough to keep you afloat, then you need a website. No excuses.
Would you like us to help? Give us a call at V3 Media. If you want more reasons why your company needs a website, by all means, let us know during a one-on-one consultation which we can come to you for if you don’t have time or money to come to us. Maybe once you get to know us better, you’ll see why it may cost you more to not have a website at all.