FAQs

Probably. You may not need to be online if you are not interested in growing your business and if your currently customers are not online. However, this is rare. More often, business need to be online in some capacity. Customers expect to be able to locate you online. Imagine not having a phone or an email address. These things have become an ordinary part of doing business.

So not only should you be there because customers expect it, but you can use it to your advantage by promoting your products or services, and by engaging with your customers.

That depends on the type of site that you want and need. If you have a complicated website, with multiple pages and post, a complicated site structure, and extensive e-commerce, you will need a developer and custom coding. And that will be very expensive.

However, it is my experience that people often pay too much and buy more than they need. Many individuals and businesses need a simple online home, and that may be as little as one page. Design themes are now so good that custom development and coding isn’t necessary. Consider hiring a content specialist, like Digital Marketing Woman, who focuses on giving you the right content and the right messaging using a pre-designed theme. This can make getting online faster and less expensive, while delivering a product that is on message for your audience.

More and more industries demand some kind of social media presence. You don’t need to be everywhere (and probably shouldn’t be), but you should pick one or two channels to which you regularly post content. How often you do that and who within your organization does that is up to you. You may find that a weekly post to Facebook and LinkedIn is all that you need, and that someone within your organization may enjoy taking on this role. A social media scheduler such a Buffer can be a great timesaver and make your messaging more effective.

Email marketing does take some time, but after initial set-up it can be quite managable and the rewards are worth it. Your email list can become a valuable asset for your business and one that is solely owned by you, not by Facebook or Twitter.