When starting a new business, one of the first questions you will ask yourself is how to reach your target demographic and how to market your business.
Do you need social media?
Do you need a website?
And the simple answer is yes.
If you already have a pretty successful business, and you’ve managed to grow without a website, there is no better time to start a website than now.
Businesses provide goods and services to people and they exist to make money. You can’t start a business and remain relevant on the market if you don’t focus on increasing your sales and revenue. Your business isn’t just your dream come true, but it also provides employment to your staff. This involves big risky decisions that need to be made every day. You have no choice but to expand.
Businesses need two things to kick off and remain:
- Something people want: an established business knows how to create value. For eg: a clothing store knows all about recent trends in fashion and sells amazing clothing, a makeup store has all kinds of makeup and knows everything there is to know about the science behind makeup. You can’t begin your business if you have no idea what you are doing.
- A way to reach people: Just because you know your stuff will not magically launch you into success in the market. You should be able to reach people, make them consume your products and services, and keep them coming back. And the thing is not everyone knows how to market their business properly. This is where most businesses fail. To grow steadily, businesses need to first focus on making a profit; by more sales, better services, better equipment, better marketing, good reputation, more customers, more market share, and more visibility.
This is where your digital presence, especially a website, comes into play. A website is the foundation of such a marketing and visibility strategy. A website, a good one, is the bridge, the connection between your business and your target demographic.
Here’s how your website can achieve this:
- Introduction To Your Business:
Your website is the first place your customer will land on through the internet, even more than your other social media presence. Having important information about your products and services in detail is how you sell them.
Simple enough, if you want the business to flourish online, you can’t do that without getting online.
- Credibility:
There are many businesses just like yours that work to promote the same products and services. One way to stand out is by having a website that clearly communicates quality information to your customers. You have to make people believe that you are a legitimate business and that your services and products are reliable. Your website is the key to communicating this information.
- Digital Marketing:
Gone are the days when you can rely on phone calls and in-store visits to expand your business. People will search and research your services on their own schedule. Limiting your business to your working schedule is the biggest mistake you can make in this digital age. Why not create a website that will provide all information on your business, products, and services 24/7?
When people find information, it helps build trust and that’s how you encourage people to buy from you; which brings us to:
- Establish trust:
When people first find your business online, they don’t always have a reference. Through your website, you can convince people of your products and services. You can advertise and promote reviews/testimonials of your best projects and products. So, your website is the way to make a good first impression, make sure it matters.
- Branding:
Using a website as the hub of your brand can set you apart from your competitors. A good logo, consistent visual aspects in all your marketing materials; brochures, social media, apparel, packaging, etc. make you look much more professional. This all begins on your website. By clearly depicting who you are, what you stand for, you convince people to buy from you and stand apart from others.
- Full Control:
Your website is at the heart of your business. You can encourage people to contact you for any information. You can integrate your website on Google Maps so that people can find you more easily. A good, SEO-optimized website increases your chance of showing up on Google. Consistently updating your website, adding more pictures, blog posts, articles will build up your reach. Or you can add paid traffic. There are sometimes negative reviews about businesses and services on third-party platforms. Your website allows you to take control of your own narrative. It gives you all the freedom and control you need to grow.
Having a strong online presence, especially a website, can make or break your opportunity to generate revenue and stay relevant on the market. The main question is why wouldn’t you create a website? It does no harm, but will definitely do you some good.
However, in some cases, organizations hesitate to make websites because they don’t feel tech-savvy enough to create a strong website; or they worry about the cost. But that is just a small risk to take to build your business.
Websites are important digital assets. But don’t create a website just for the sake of it, just to have one out there. Make sure people can find all information on your services. Use your knowledge in your business to research your target demographic and how you want to reach them. Use help from professionals and experts to create a good UI/UX design. People will return to your websites only if they like and enjoy the experience. The job and the purpose that your website serves should depend on what your customers want from you, not the other way around. Make sure it feels human enough to scroll through your website; make a website that will make people want to get in touch with you and buy your goods. Establish a connection, make it easy for people to reach you.
A business, after all, is to sell that trust and connection with people for more profit on your side and satisfaction on theirs.