At CIS Agency we often hear a few different arguments against having a website:
If my customers have questions, I don’t need a website - they can call me or email me.
Why invest in a website when social media sites are free?
We have been in business for many years without a website!
We have a website but never update or use it to its potential.
Do you fall into any of these schools of thought?
Here are TEN reasons why that would be a costly misstep!
#1 Your customers are expecting a website.
No website? Potential consumers may question whether your business is legit. A website adds credibility to your business. Short of that, they may pass you up for a competitor. This brings us to point #2:
#2 Your competition has a website.
Guaranteed, it’s helping their business -- possibly at your expense! If they don’t, then you should create one to make sure YOU’RE the company that shows up since they won’t!
#3 A website means you’ll show up in search engine results.
Ask your friends how they learn about new products, services, stores, restaurants, etc. Most of them will probably mention Google, Siri, Alexa, or something similar. People - including potential customers -- are searching the internet for exactly what you’re offering. And they could be missing you completely.
According to 2018 data from Google, 75% of smartphone owners turn to a search engine first to address immediate needs. How do you show up on the search? You need a website! (And a little something called Search Engine Optimization, but that’s a conversation for another time.)
#4 A website houses all the important information your potential customers need.
With a website, all the information your customers need (like business hours, FAQs, products, the ability to buy them) are all in one place and are accessible to anyone with an internet connection. They can check you out and get answers to their questions without taking up your precious time to field phone calls about your products/services, hours, etc.
A great example is the Grand Rapids Griffins or West Michigan Whitecaps websites. Check one out and ask yourself: What if this information was only available via phone call? How much time would it take an employee to handle? Yikes! The investment would be staggering!
OK, now you may be wondering...why not just house all of that information on a social media site?
#5 A website allows you to reach the online community as a whole – not just social media users!
First of all, not all of your potential customers use social media. If they are, they aren’t necessarily all using the same platform. Even how they use social media (or how often) can be different. What do these platforms have in common? They all allow users to navigate to your website!
#6 Websites control your testimonials.
It’s also important to keep in mind that you don’t “own” that social media page - even if you’d like to think you do! Posts from customers (or even competitors!), the social media platform’s branding and advertising -- they all affect your brand.
Remember, you can’t control who posts on your social media sites and you can’t control what people tell others when they leave your place of business. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a place to post all the wonderful things people have said about your business without worrying about comments from the nay-sayers? With a website, that’s possible! You control your testimonials!
#7 A website helps you to keep a consistent message.
Keeping up with a consistent message across multiple social media platforms can be tricky and tiring! A link to the website content allows you to get the message out there without recreating the wheel over and over. Imagine if you ran a promo and announced it one way on Facebook, but a different way on Instagram, then it got shared to Pinterest… until that Pin is removed, there’s not much you can do to correct the mistake! If only there were a website your customers could visit to make sure they had the right information…
#8 A website can help your customers spread the word for you.
Customers can use your website to spread the word directly onto the social media sites they use FOR YOU! Facebook, Instagram, Twitter – they are all great tools. Think about the lead generation of something like LinkedIn – connecting with professionals with money to spend! Think about the longevity of a post to Pinterest! Your customers can see a product or a blog on your website and instantly share it to these platforms with only a few easy set-up steps for you! Less updating of social media for you and more marketing wins!
#9 Websites can give your staff a place to do business.
Have staff? A website allows a resource that can be accessed with work email – which means they don’t have to mix their personal social media account with business or create a new profile just for business use. It’s also a great place to post jobs and (back to the points above), create credibility for those job postings!
#10 Websites give you more marketing options.
For example, you can use opt-in forms to collect email addresses on your website. Pop-ups can offer discounts or newsletter sign-ups as an additional means of marketing. This means you’ll be reaching your intended audience with more great products and services without lifting a finger to do it!
Having a website doesn’t have to be a huge investment. We can help you get up and running and maintain this consistent source of information. We can also help with getting you to the top of those internet searches. Just imagine hearing someone asking their phone to tell them about a product or service you offer – what will they hear back? Your business -- or your competitors’? The answer is simple: you NEED a website!
Reach out to CIS Agency to learn more!