MA Business Success 31: Do You Need a Website?

Alex: So today's issue that we're dealing with is whether or not to take the plunge and get yourself a website up and running. Now, Graham, it's gotta be a must doesn't it? Graham: It is definitely a must if...for the listeners out there that have just neglected to take a website, create one, or they've got one from the, I don't wanna say the stone ages because they never existed, the early days, you really do need to put some time and effort. No, in this industry, in this modern era, your website is your shop front. It's where people will browse and knowing personally ourselves the way that people buy, their buying habits nowadays, there's a lot of people that are very interested in doing a lot of research about you well before they ever call you or engage in your services. So having a great website is a good way that they can compare you to what else is out there. And you have...honestly, you've got less than 10 seconds to make a good impression. So if you've got too much text or clutter or whatnot, you're in a bad place. They can simply just click in, and they bounce out, and then move on to something different. So pay some attention to this area. Alex: Yeah, absolutely, so what's the key? What do I need to know in order to setup my website? Graham: Don't confuse an inquiry-driven or a new member-driven website with a members website. Alex: Okay. Graham: A lot of people do that. So they have one website, and it's for members and for new possible clients. And that's confusing as hell. Alex: Okay. Phil: Yeah, for someone who doesn't know your business, doesn't know your website, they click in, they're going, member stuff and classes...and learning this month. And it's like, jeez, it's confusing as Graham said. You only got a small amount of time to attract that person. So people who are listening to us know that we're big believers in our learning portal type stuff. So that's for our members. Although, there are some small sections on our website where you get a class timetable or events. And our website is mainly driven for new clients, and it's very simply laid out and very clear. We have the three demographics, young kids, teenagers, and adults. So as soon as you click onto our page, it's obvious I'm gonna click there if it's for this. And then, once you click there, it's like telling a story. It's step by step taking you down the page, real simple about the benefits to you of what you're gonna get, the process, etc. So it's really spelling it out in a sales lattice type thing where they're just getting exactly what they want, all the buzz words, all the buzz buttons. Which leads me to say, if you're putting all the text on your website, it's probably not a good idea right now. Alex: No. Phil: There are some fantastic copywriters out there that it's their job to get people to press a button and inquire. And that...if you're gonna invest in your website, invest in a copywriter who's gonna put the right text, the right videos in the right places to appeal to your client. Alex: Absolutely. Phil: I couldn't recommend that highly enough. Alex: Because as soon as you've got a mistake on the front page of your website, grammatical, whatever, your brand just kind disappears. Phil: Absolutely, so even if you're writing it out yourself, then get a copywriter to check it, whatever or get a copywriter to interview you and do it that way. But it's quite new for us. We've changed our website probably a couple years ago and the benefits we've received have been amazing when it comes to email website inquiries and stuff like that. Alex: Sure, sure, so the content and what you're saying also how you're saying it. You have to have a voice that is you. Graham: You gotta remember exactly, again, the website. You're trying to get people to come to you because you're a specialist in a particular field. You're not a specialist in website design. Some of you guys listening may dabble, but that could be a bit to the detriment of your success. So I'm a big believer in finding people who are qualified in their area, who are professionals at what they're doing to get your message and make it so it's easily consumable to the target client because the end of the day, jeez, you might have a great message, but if someone can put that in such a great storyline and make it so it's powerful, that could be the deciding factor whether someone chooses you or bounces out and goes somewhere different. And I know for a fact, Phil pointed this out, in the seven years that we've had WAIMA schools running, I think we've done three website redevelopments. So we had one initially. We re-did it, had a look, and then evolved from that point. So for the listeners, I would say, look, every three or so years, have a look to see if your site is still valid if it's still serving you because clients and the way that consumers buy changes often. And what it was years ago will not support the medium in the way that they buy or engage nowadays. So having videos and blogs and written text is important, but what else is in there to attract those clients? And I'm gonna throw it to Phil about landing pages and bits and pieces because a lot of the times, we actually target market and when you bring someone to your page and there's three different headers of how it's keys and whatnot, that's cool. It's still clear, but if they specifically what kids, there's a way to just bring them in, give them all the stuff about kids information. If they want more, they can click further and then there you go. But having a landing page equally that works in with your website is also vital. Alex: Just tailored to the different audiences. Phil: Say if you are doing a marketing campaign drive for children, rather than, and it's all online. So rather than bringing them back to your website which has different demographics and different information, we might setup a one-page landing page where they land on it is just for that person. So it feels like that page is speaking directly to you, therefore, you're gonna get a higher conversion rate as well. Alex: And it's not that difficult to do. Phil: It really isn't that difficult. There's so many different little lead pages and all sorts of stuff that we use and have used before. Again, if it's not your specialty, don't dabble with it. If you wanna play it because you're interested and wanna learn like I have before, by all means do it. But at the end of the day, if you wanna get the conversions, someone over the line, then you're gonna need good design, good copy write, and like the sales funnel to go with it. Something that I mentioned that we do so...obviously, there's probably not a whole podcast on SEO and Google AdWords because you know what? It confuses the hell out of me, too. Alex: Yeah. Phil: Hence why I don't really do it. I employ someone to do that. But it's all about getting people back to your website nonetheless. And Graham mentioned about blogs, video blogs, whatever it may be. So they are on our website too because they have good information for a new client. And we've also talked about social media before. So on our social media, we'll post out video blogs or this and then that brings them back to our website and the website's structured to get someone to call the phone or drop an email. Alex: Absolutely. Phil: So it's bringing everyone back to your website is so important because that's setup to get them across the line. Alex: Because otherwise, how on earth is somebody gonna find you? Phil: Yep, absolutely. And we do a lot of free events for the community and all sorts of things. So someone might even wanna be a member of us. They wanna know, "I heard about this event." So that event better be easily found because then you're not gonna get that person. It might be a $200 event, women's personal protection or bully buster or whatever it may be. Alex: Or a kid's party that they heard about that's awesome and they wanna go and sign up for that. Phil: Kid's party, yeah, so they might wanna go...martial arts school in the area. Boom, you come up. Events are...that's what I was talking about. It's gotta be simple rather than going on and on because again, Graham said 10 seconds. If they're trying to find it and they can't, they're not coming. Graham: And I think it all summarizes really like less is more. With how we consume information now, reading pages upon pages and pages of text to get the information you need, you gotta find your sweet draft. Having those different forms where you might have a short paragraph that gets your interest to keep you there engaged. Having those videos, having those simple tabs to be able to click ongoing events or the information you're looking for is again, simplicity. Because really, what we're trying to do is lead them on a journey without bamboozling them straight away because some people don't know if you're the right fit. And therefore, they're just scanning, but if you can get that engagement from them, it's gonna work for you. But I would definitely recommend to anyone listening, you don't need to mortgage your house to get a good website. It can be quite simple if you find the right people. And again, it's important for you to communicate your message, what you're really trying to portray with your website. So think of it being a shop front. What would you put in the window to make people turn their head and look and go, "That's where I wanna be. I'm gonna walk in the door." And that's what the website is all about. Alex: Absolutely, and just coming back to the copywriting that we were mentioning before. If you're writing it yourself, you can't necessarily find the voice of your business. And it's only by really sticking with a copywriter or really having that discussion with a copywriter that you can get the voice of your brand over in your website. And that encompasses your values, your culture, the way you run your business, which actually can, just in a short paragraph, come across to the person who's reading it. Phil: The copywriter will bring out a new voice that you probably haven't even heard before. Alex: Yes. Phil: You know what I mean? And it fits and you're like, "That's exactly how I feel." Alex: Absolutely. Phil: You know it and then I can put that on the web or copy it on our marketing material, whatever. Because I'm fairly well uneducated. I left high school quite early and went down a certain path so that's not me. Alex: You're not an English teacher. Phil: Absolutely not. But if someone's talking to me and can hear my heart and feeling about my business, they're gonna be able to draw it out and better put it in text. Alex: Yes, so the takeaways here are definitely do it. Phil: Yeah. Alex: Don't spend too much money doing it. Phil: That's right. Alex: But do it properly. Graham: And re-evaluate as you go because at the end of the day, look, you might have this beautiful looking website but something's not aligned right and, therefore, you're not getting your traffic. So just have a look back. Test and measure. And like anything, things get old and outdated. I wouldn't say wait 10 years and I wouldn't say re-evaluate every 12 months, but give yourself some time but also know that I've got the next chapter is this, and I've evolved to a new space or a place and just check it out and have some fun with it. Alex: Great advice, okay. Graham, Phil, thank you very much indeed. Until next time, cheers. Phil: Thank you.