Making your website work for you
Since about January-March this year, we have all been living in a new reality, one defined by the pandemic. Many commercial actiites have ground to a complete stop, while the surviving ones are forced to adapt.
We all have to find a way to keep moving forward after all.
And while we keep trucking along and making do, many of us are realising how important it is to be accessible online and do business online. This happens with via a mix of social platforms, video conferencing, chat apps, all the tools that help us communicate and get things done while we quarantine at home or work remotely.
A big part of that is also the website.
Websites are one of the most ubiquitous pieces of online real estate out there. We all visit and use multiple sites everyday. We might even have a few of our own for our businesses and brands.
However, up till now, we might have just used our websites as nothing more than what I like to call glorified business profiles. It is merely a digital form of whatever you have in your media kit, a platform that tells the world who you are, what you do and how to get in touch with you.
But this limits what your site can do for you, and in these uncertain times, it is important to look at how your business or brand can deliver value online. How can your website become a business asset?
No matter what business we are in, there are ways to join the digital revolution and take our business online, delivering and capturing value on the internet.
Here are three ways you can do this.
Sell something online.
When the lockdown kicked in around March, people were not able to purchase a lot of things, including alcohol. One of my friends is a craft brewer who I’ve worked with to craft his brand. He absolutely loves to brew having done it for years, so with the lockdown in effect, he continued making some beer at home.
A couple brews in, we figured some other people might be interested in picking up the hobby, especially with the state of things. So we built a website and put together a book teaching people how to make their own drinks. We put the book out for sale online at a paltry 30 bucks and made 10k in a month.
A modest amount sure, but the idea of spending time making something, putting it out and then watching the rewards come in is at the core of business, especially digital business. We basically created an online business.
My point is, websites are there, they are online, they are accessible 24/7. They can be a vital part of the business model, a money making system, and you should start thinking in your business how you can start to sell something online.
Sell your expertise, sell physical products, sell a course, sell downloadable tools. If you are able to meet the needs of people, a website is the best place to meet them.
Augment your business processes
Another way you can really put your website to work is using it to improve your internal processes, helping you serve your customers.
This is important because if you can lead the customer through a well-defined and organised system, they begin to trust your brand more and find the whole experience of working with you engaging. They also begin to respect your business more, happy to submit the process for the results they desire.
This is invaluable for your peace of mind, and for general brand building.
You can use your website to do things like: book calls or appointment. You can integrate a platform like Calendly, and schedule your meetings or client sessions easily. You could place a chat function so you can talk to potential customers in real time.
You could like I do, host multiple questionnaire on your website that serve as an info-gathering and brief building session with clients. With these I can easily get the information I need to move the client to the next step.
You could also use your website and web technologies to keep in touch with clients with CRMs, staying top of mind with them. You can host a repository of resources your customers can access to improve their lives with the option to engage you further on paid products.
All of this add to your brand exerience.
Your website as lead generators
Imagine your website as a sales person or marketer, putting the word out on behalf of your brand 24/7.
Your website can be a bonafide lead generator, sending qualified ready-to-buy leads directly to your phone line or email.
You do this by creating sales pages, click funnels, useful tools that draw people in, demonstrate your expertise and convince them to invest their money with you. It takes skill, the ability to communicate convincely, a deep understanding of your audience, the right amount of free tools and information to build trust. But once all the pieces are in place, your website and online presence can become a powerful source of business opportunities.
Hopefully with these ideas, you are starting to think about how your website and online presence can be more than it is now. You can go beyond the basic informational website to a real tool that improves your business and impacts the bottom line.
And in these uncertain times, it is a true bonus.
If you have a website you want to get off the ground or revamp, feel free to get in touch with us.
