Does My Small Biz REALLY Need a Website?
Short answer? YES. Long answer? Read on…
Most consumers are playing, studying, researching or shopping online. And if your business doesn’t have a website, that’s a MASSIVE chunk of market share you’re missing out on.
Every business in every industry can benefit from having a website. Retail, Hospitality, Tourism, Trades, Professional Services, Health-care, Horticulture, Mining, Manufacturing………you get my drift.
Benefits of Having A Small Business Website.
1.To attract more/new business!
People are searching online for everything these days. You name it, it’s getting searched. People like to investigate and make decisions based on their online search results. And when your competition has a website and you don’t, who are they more likely to contact?
2. It’s a virtual shopfront/office for those who don’t have one.
Home-based businesses and sole operators without a physical shopfront or walk in office can find it challenging to rely on word of mouth referrals or networking alone to attract new business.
3. Move a ‘cold’ prospect to a ‘warm’ one.
Websites allow your potential customers to browse before actually getting in touch. Ever walked into a store and had the feeling you’re about to be swamped with sales staff, trying to ‘sell to you’ when you just want to browse?
Being able to visit your business online means they can learn more about you, what you offer and review real customer feedback (testimonials/reviews). Now armed with all this information, when they decide to click on the ‘buy now’ button or fill in a ‘contact us’ form, they have moved from a cold prospect (knows nothing about you) to a warm one (has the confidence to get in touch with the intention to enquire further). You now have the opportunity to communicate with someone who is actually reaching out to you and help solve their problem.
4. So customers can buy from you after hours.
You may be a 9-5 business. Perhaps you’re open late night or even weekends. But you cannot physically answer the phones, emails and be at your shopfront, in your factory, at your desk or on the road 24/7. But your website can. Whether it’s an online shop (e-Commerce) or a booking form for appointments, your site can became your sales team, cashier AND booking agent any time.
5. Because relying on only selling/marketing through social media is DANGEROUS!
Social media – LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram; whatever new shining thing they create, is controlled by someone else. But your website belongs to you. You can control the content and who you target. Social media companies can change their rules at any time or increase their marketing costs. They can even shut down your social media page without notice.
Relying on social media to be your only form of online marketing, your audience is also limited to those using the platform you are on, and of those, many have joined social media platforms to (strangely enough) be social, not sold to.
Plus there’s no guarantee the lifetime of a social media company. MySpace was once the largest social media platform going. Yeah, My…..who????
So long story short? Yes, your business really should have a strategically designed website. If you’re wanting to get your message across to your target audience, your site needs to communicate that message at each stage of the buying journey. From researching you to making an enquiry, your site should be engaging, educating, connecting and turning your cold “I’m just looking” prospect, into a confident “I’ll like to know more” sale opportunity.
Contact Kristy at Ladybird Design via our contact form or ladybirddesign@westnet.com.au and let’s see how we can help you get your business online. We work with WordPress websites as we have found these to be reliable and constantly improving to meet customer demands and needs. Small Business Website Perth