Do You REALLY Need a Website?

Small-business owners and entrepreneurs are struggling to strategically and profitably place every penny and dime they have in this economy. Overwhelming thoghts start swarming the mind concerning the online world of Facebook, SEO, Google Adwords, Web design, ultimately culminating to the big question: Is a website REALLY necessary? 

Answer: YES. ABSOUTELY. END-OF-STORY. 

That's the short answer. If you want to stop there and go get your business a website, great. You should. But, most don't have "website" built into their monthly budget or cash flow.  What can a small business do to get online with out paying for a website upfront? I have two solutions:

1. GET ON FACEBOOK

2. USE KIDS

Creating a Facebook page for yourself, family, dog, cat or anything else that can articulate some reasonable daily status doesn't seem to be as overwhelming to people as creating a business Facebook Page. The BUSINESS FACEBOOK is exactly what it sounds like-THE BUSINESS FACE. Sales reps used to be the FACES of companies. Now, its moved online to FACEBOOK. Starting to make sense? Creating the business account communicates to the world your business personality, ethics, services, products and success, while establishing a valuable word-of-mouth campaign. The best part, ITS FREE! 

Facebook is part blog, part contact info, part portfolio, part-everything a business needs to promote itself to the public. BUT, once you introduce your company to the online world through the valuable source of Facebook, customers will enately require a website. 

THINK OF FACEBOOK AS THE SALES CALL. THE WEBSITE IS THE SALES MEETING. 

Keep this in mind when creating monthly budgets and organizing business costs, because a website was needed yesterday. Facebook is a way to tide the business over until it catches up with competitors. Facebook gets you friends (or network), but not sales. The website comes in to help close the deal. 

Secondly, USE YOUTH AS RESOURCES. 

Take advantage of the amazing technical aptitude of our youth. Use your child, niece, nephew, friend's kid, or go to the schools and offer an internship for qualifying elementary and middle school students. Providing a child an opporunity to learn the working world and expand their mind is invaluable. Challenge their technical aptitude and build their work ethic. 

I hope this helps our small businesses of Gig Harbor survive and thrive! I'm one of them, and I believe we all need to support and share resources. I love comments, questions and concerns to guide me through my next thoughts, ideas and tips to post and share.