Now this is a question our super customer care team at Clinet Online gets asked all the time whenever a prospective client is on the line inquiring about our awesome web design services, or when our Digital marketing team mentions to a business owner who is after the service that they need a website before thinking about doing anything else online. Though this question has been answered almost everywhere you look on our website, I feel it’s important to tackle this question in a detailed but brief kind of fashion. So, let’s dig right in.
Before I answer this question I must first begin by acknowledging the truth that there are two types of entrepreneurs out there. The first kind is one who does things the proper way, following the safe channel, and making logical business decisions based on how things have always been done by fellow business people in his/her industry. This type of entrepreneur plays by the standard rules and traditions of business thereby remaining safe and mitigating his losses to as low as practicality allows. The second type of entrepreneur is one who asks why and questions the rules set in his space at every stage and bends conventional wisdom with at times irrational ideas which may eventually at times put all his life’s work on the line.
The thing is, the first type of entrepreneur remains safe all the time rarely making losses or finding themselves in back-breaking situations. However, because of their many reservations, they also do not place themselves in the right position for exponential growth, scaling and once-in-a-lifetime breakthroughs. On the other hand, our irrational second type of entrepreneurs may always be in grueling circumstances with the near future seeming so blurred, bleak and almost absolutely heart wrenching. But, unbelievably, they are always positioned at an advantaged place, ready to make use of new opportunities, try out new products and markets, new ideas and even new technologies. Not because they can, but because they have to in order to survive and remain relevant in the brutal business world. These are the men and women who take their businesses to the next level. Period.
In Kenya today, most small businesses still consider owning a website an extra sophisticated technology engagement which is only reserved for the huge corporations with all the money to place irrelevant annoying adverts on TV. And because of this laxity, laziness or lack of enough courage, some small businesses in certain industries are almost being declared irrelevant by market forces which have shifted in favor of huge online stores promising quality and value for money.
Let me ask you a question. If you wanted to buy a new mobile phone to replace your three years old beat up smartphone, what will you probably do before making a decision about which, how and where to buy? … Really? You took time to think about it? You will most certainly Google it. Simple.
This leads us to a very interesting topic of discussion. If people Google stuffs before they come out to buy does it mean window shopping is now majorly being done online? In more advanced countries this is probably true, and in Kenya this is going to be true sooner than most business people’s very wrong imaginations. In some particular products, this is certainly already the case in Kenya. I can’t picture in my mind any sane teenager in Kenya who will go out to buy a phone or new pair of shoes without first ‘Google-ing’. Even the ladies nowadays Google the correct type of makeups or cosmetics that favors their skin types before going out to buy.
Truly, this is a testament of what our world has become and even more, how the target market has become so technologically advanced, it would be detrimental for you as a business person to ignore it. As a small business you need a powerful online presence to build on your small brand and to drive clients to your products or services vigorously. When people Google online, you have to remember they not only see description of products they seek but also where they are available conveniently at friendlier prices. Now, it’s almost common sense by now that your business won’t appear anywhere in the search results if you do not have an online presence.
To begin having a powerful online presence respected by search engines like Google you MUST have a website for your small business. It doesn’t matter what service or product you are offering, a website is critical for you to expand sells and remain relevant in the days ahead. Your competitors are not just laying around waiting for a client in need of their products to accidentally appear at their doorstep, they are exploring all channels including having a sweet website which increases their credibility over your business and gaining first movers advantage as you continue to sit down debating with yourself on whether your small business needs a website.
So, my answer again and again is, get a website, let millions of Kenyans see you, educate them on your products the next time they Google, and ultimately influence them to buy from you. What are you waiting for?!!
Because at Clinet Online we are cool and awesome, the next article we write will be to educate you and give you specific well laid out points on importance of having a website and why social media works best when you have a website, to new marketing opportunities to adding business value. In the meantime, learn more here.
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