In my work as editor of ABQ on the Cheap, I look at a lot of websites. A lot of websites. And I view a lot of New Mexico websites because I’m always interested in supporting locally owned businesses.
There’s just one problem: Many New Mexico businesses don’t have a website.
It shocks me to type that. I would think even the smallest of businesses would recognize the need for a web presence today. But it’s not so.
So, let’s go back to the basics of internet marketing for a moment.
Internet Marketing 101: The Web Site
You must have a website. This is non-negotiable.
If your business does not have a website, your first order of business Monday morning should be to look for a good web designer and copywriter, hire them both, and welcome yourself to the 21st century. I’m not trying to be sarcastic, but you cannot adequately compete today (let alone five years from now) if you don’t have a website. Here’s why.
- Print media is going away. It won’t happen overnight, and I’m not only talking about newspapers (which have been much in the news as they fold in record numbers). If your marketing efforts primarily entail print advertising, Yellow Pages, or other types of print, then you need to rethink your approach. The information space now firmly belongs to digital, so you must focus a portion of your marketing efforts on the digital space. A website is the minimum entry point here.
- The advent of Web 2.0 and social media eventually will make static websites obsolete. If you have only a static website right now, you are already slightly behind the curve. If you have no website, you are at least a decade behind the curve. Because web traffic grows organically over time, you must get started now to build the traffic that will form the basis of your customer community in five years. Look at it like saving for retirement: those who started early and took advantage of the magic of compounded interest will have a much larger nest egg than those who waited until later to start saving. Web traffic compounds over time in a similar way. If you’re not already compounding, you need to start immediately.
- Your customers expect you to have a website. This should perhaps rank as the #1 reason why your business needs to be on the web. The internet has become the primary source for local business information. If your prospective customers can’t find you on the web, they may not bother to look elsewhere.
An effective website need not be fancy or expensive. For less than the cost of a year’s worth of Yellow Pages advertising, you can have a nicely designed site that communicates everything your customers need to know. And the annual cost of a website can be very low: in the two-figure range.
So, if your business doesn’t yet have a web presence, do yourself a favor and get one. New Mexico boasts a long roster of great designers and writers (including yours truly) who can help put your business on the internet map.
–Elizabeth Hanes
