If you are not selling over the internet, you might wonder if you really still need a website. After all, you are marketing all over social media and the goal is to get people into your brick-and-mortar premises. They can’t place an order on your website. You’ve got all your contact details and opening hours on your social media profiles. What’s the point of your website?
A brochure website is a platform to promote your business without actually making a sale online. And yes, you still need it. While your social media accounts are a vital way to connect and engage with potential customers, people want more than you can give them on social media. Your brochure website really is accomplishing a lot that social media cannot. Here are a few reasons you still need it even if you are running a comprehensive social media marketing campaign.
People will see your social media when their friends share it, but when they are looking for a business they are going to search online. And that is when they find your search-engine-optimized website. Search engines are today’s business telephone directory. If you want to go out to dinner or find a hardware store nearby, are you going to start with a search engine or Facebook? You might well check out a business’s Facebook page before you visit, but odds are good that you will start by putting the type of brochure and the name of your town into a search engine.
Social media lets you put the basics about your business online. But people want more than that. They want to see your menu. Maybe they need to know if you cater for food intolerances or have vegetarian options. They might be looking for a very specific item and want to know if you stock it before they make the trip to your store.
Some people like to browse and really get to know your merchandise before they decide if they want to visit. They might want to see some testimonials with photos before they contact you to get a quote for your service. And people have realized that comparison shopping online is infinitely easier than going from shop to shop.
If you aren’t happy with how your brochure website is performing, it might need some work. Maybe it needs to be optimized. SEO changes because search engines change the rules and people use different keywords. So even if it was optimized a few years ago, it might need an update. Or you might have completely outgrown your brochure website and need a whole new approach. But you do need a website. Social media isn’t enough to compete.
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