Consistently Promote Yourself and Your Business
If you’re like me, you’ve probably had to sign a number of non-compete agreements or worse had to take your website down while you worked for a company. Logically and from first hand experience, I know taking a site down is unwise. Whether for you or your business, it’s like disappearing from the landscape crippling your forward progress.
If you’ve read my other digital marketing posts, you’re well aware of the stats which overwhelming show that a website does impact the company bottom line. From free web traffic, to creating engagement and customer loyalty, to establishing your brand value proposition and enabling sales transactions, a website generates tremendous value, especially customer lifetime value. The ROI is still impressive.
Dentists, doctors, specialists, plumbers, builders, manufacturers, travel service firms, mortgage agents, restaurants owners, auto repair shops, and more small businesses can build market leadership with a website. It translates to continuous, sustainable sales and business success. You’re not in business to fail.
Competition, Lack of Confidence, Skepticism
Hundreds of thousands of real estate professionals don’t have their own website. They use their broker’s site. Unfortunately, broker brands are dying. And it makes Realtors look like peons or minions without identity. And for those that do, it’s often used as a landing page for their face to face meetings, business cards/flyers, or to ensure their MLS listings are viewable online.
Real estate is competitive and most Realtors have little belief that a website can create leads. That’s a shame, because it leaves the whole market to other more confident Realtors. 90% of buyers and sellers go online before buying or selling. And a buyer is very often a seller, and one who has connections.
SMB’s of All Types Need to Have a Great Website
So here’s the problem with many SMBs: they’re unaware and not looking for solutions. Getting educated is the best way to overcome your skepticism and fear of investing in web marketing. You can start off with my new SEO Book which covers content strategy, Google rankings, and how to get visitors to stay and be engaged.
Almost everyone is online searching for something, which means you can intercept them with your value proposition
And then there’s those companies that have a website but let it sit there doing nothing but listing their contact info. We hear nothing about them, or the negative chatter about how web marketing doesn’t work.
Web marketing does work. Ask Amazon, Walmart, Remax, Priceline, or Airbnb, whether websites deliver value. Brick and mortar and word of mouth marketing are all fading into history and the rise of digital marketing is quickening.
Here’s 7 You’ll Regret Neglecting Your Website
- you’ll ruin your chances of ranking well on Google (prestige, lots of interested visitors)
- your customers won’t believe you’re modern and successful (poor branding)
- you leave customers/visitors to your competitors (bolstering their success)
- you don’t get your unique value proposition communicated (no one knows you exist)
- you let others control the impression of you and your company (risk management)
- it will take you longer to gain a dominant position in the market (sustainable presence forever)
- you’re not respecting the number one marketing and business channel going (everything is online)
If you’ve been neglecting your Website, don’t admonish yourself, just take action. Make a pledge to yourself that shows your commitment to your career or business. The new website will pick up your spirits and give your staff focus.
You could leave all the SEO, Content Strategy, Website Design, and PPC Advertising to me or some other digital marketing company. By educating yourself, and not shying away from challenging new marketing technology, you’ll feel better about your decisions.