I meet with a lot of local and area clients, and one thing they love to have over their website is some type of control. They want to be able to maintain or have access to maintain their website. They want to be able to do a lot of things.
They also, once they get the tools they need that give them control, shut themselves off from further progress. Case in point, I worked for a local business that sold Medigap insurance and maintained a network of the small company’s websites. I set them up using WordPress and gave the owner the tools and directions in maintaining.
However, since I also was the webmaster, I was expected to maintain. The problem is that the owner was so focused on the website, he forgot on huge thing: getting the word out there and connecting with potential customers.
My job description did not include social media consulting or to market his websites, but I advised him from the start that just having a website was only part of the battle. Believe me, he was getting a good deal on employing me and paying me per hour for cheap, but I was really surprised that he was not hungry enough to market his site or take the advice I had to heart.
Because of the issues with Health Care reform in the United States, he had to lay off quite a few people and I was one of them. I approached him later and he is now selling any type of insurance he can. It is unfortunate for him because he relied so much on print marketing and just having a website up. Now that is gone – he sold the site to another person.
I want to emphasize that having a website gives you no control. You have to take up the reigns and market your site online and optimize your site through SEO to try to connect with others. It might take rubbing elbows with a lot of people, but that it the biggest struggle any business will have. Having a business online or offline is the same thing when it comes to getting clients.
Be smart and find out how to market your website. If you are a success offline, then use those skills to do the same online.
Are you still having troubles marketing your website? Are you reaching your potential audience? Are you investing the time or even enough money to make sure your site is helping you follow through after reaching your audience?
Hi Nile
How sad that he didn't take your advice. I have lots of experienced marketers and techies who are now my blogging buddies. I accept it may be my blog but they know heaps more than I do. Am learning heaps from them all and take their advice so that I will be able to move my blog and fledgling business on to success 🙂
Patricia Perth Australia
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I totally agree with you on marketing a website, Niles. We can only take control of our website if we take the reigns and market it so that it will get the attention of the market we are targeting. Although having a website is good, it does not immediately get us the customers we want. We still have to work for it.
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I agree with you Nile, just having a website will do not good, it is really important to market and promote the website no matter what niche it belongs too and well it is important the website even offline and not only online
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I agree that if you have the skills in day to day life, than being able to succeed on the internet is just as easy once you have the technological know-how. I feel that I am marketing my site correctly, but SEO takes time to optimize, there is no instant fix.
Great post. I'll say that yeah, I"m still having trouble marketing my website, but it's not for lack of reaching out to people. I think I need to do a better job of reaching out to the right people, and I'm pretty sure the "control" or obsessiveness over content/fine details over my site isn't hindering me. I probably need to wait until the right people find me, but I'll still keep looking…
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