A Worldwide Marketplace
Did you know there are over 3.5 billion users on the Internet as of today? That is a massive potential market for you to sell your products and services to!
Here’s some more amazing facts:
- Consumers spent $327 billion online in 2016
- There are over 1 billion websites online
- 3.3 billion Google searches daily
- 150 billion emails sent today
- Over 3 billion YouTube views
- 1.8 billion active Facebook users
Those numbers represent a massive opportunity to branch out of your small local market.
The Game is Open – Dive In!
Long gone are the days of the corporations having all the advertising and marketing power. The internet has given everyone a voice. Anyone can go online today and express their opinion (for better or worse). Businesses are able to reach consumers globally and consumers have unlimited choice.
Because getting online today is virtually effortless, there is a lot of noise. It’s harder for your message, brand and value to reach your market. We are bombarded with ads every day at an increasing rate and due to this, most of us just tune out.
Not all hope is lost though. It’s still very doable but you need to have a plan.
Your Base of Operations
The first step of your plan is your website. Think of your website as your base of operations. Every Facebook post, Twitter tweet, Pinterest pin or Instagram photo should be created and shared with a plan in mind. It should come from your website with a specific purpose.
I’ve often heard the phrase “I have a Facebook page, I don’t need a website.”
This is the same as saying “I have a wheel, I don’t need a car.”
Facebook and social media in general play an integral part – but they are pieces of the car, not the car itself.
You see the biggest advantage to having your own website is control. You control your message, content and most importantly your path.
Advertisers like to advertise where there is an audience. Educate your market, deliver real value and expertise and your audience will find you.
Social media platforms know this and use their built in audience to sell ads to companies looking to reach that audience. If you don’t build up your audience in your own yard (your website) you will never have this opportunity.
Forever playing someone else’s game by their rules is not the way to win. Make your own rules and own the game.
Your website is a massively crucial part of this and is the central building block from which your entire game is built.
Whether your selling gummy bears, jelly beans, Boeing-747 aircraft or landscaping services, without a clear and orchestrated system, your efforts will fall flat.
By running your business goals and strategies from your own website you can guide your prospect along this value journey. You are able to control your path. It’s not in some corporation’s hands that own all of your customer contact info and buying preferences, you have this information, because you gathered it through your website.
Own your house, don’t rent it. Prices, conditions and a number of factors can change the game at anytime when you aren’t in control.
In Conclusion
Now that I’ve convinced you of the importance of having a website, there are many options available.
You can:
- Take a course and learn to create your own website using a content management system and prebuilt themes
- Sign up for a cheap DIY site builder tool
- Hire a kid working from his basement to slap one together for you on the cheap
- Hire an expensive company to build you a custom website from scratch
- Hire a professional to build your site based on your business goals and objectives
See you next week with more business building, website and digital marketing content!
