Personal Branding
A lot of people tend to overlook on the importance of having your own website. Of course there are plenty of small business owners who would setup blogs and small mini-sites to promote their businesses. In Malaysia, the trend of having your own website is still faint if not entirely dismissed. As an online corporate image consultant, I had to look through Malaysian business directories for prospects. After doing a bit of research, I’ve found that there are plenty of companies out there that do not even implement online marketing into their branding strategy.
To my surprise, some of these companies are quite established and yet they do not even project their corporate identity and branding image on the internet. Reasons vary for different companies. It’s a shame to hear that quite a number of these companies are heavily reliant on their traditional methods of networking. Some of them are also dependent on government contracts just because they have connections with certain officials. If that’s the case, these companies are simply putting all their rotten eggs in old baskets!
I say this because it is a very good long term investment if you have your website. Whether your business is big or small. It’s paramount for your company’s brand building strategy to establish a presence online. So I decided to write an article stating the few reasons on why it’s important to have your own website (if not start one to market your business, products and services online):
A crucial step in Personal Branding. Having your own website instills the need to have your own corporate image and brand personality. This brand building strategy helps you get on the right track by complementing your marketing strategies both online and offline. When you have your website’s URL on your business card, it really helps in spreading the word. [YES. Leave traces of your business on the web.]
Form Strategic Partnerships and Build Bigger Prospects. Bigger companies can’t handle everything on their own. Even if they do, it would affect their operational costs. So they are always on the lookout for smaller firms to outsource their dirty work. When you have your website that is developed, present and visible on the web, the big guys will have an easier time finding you.
Motivation and Morale. Putting aside the actual technicalities of web presence on the web, just having your own website gives a reason for anyone to look into your business and what it has to offer. This encourages your team to be more participative in the future. Let’s face it, it’s kind of embarrassing when you’re an IT company without a functional website right?
Leverages on the Concept of Online Search Engine Marketing. Just by having your own website or by having your company’s URL submitted to business directories, search engines have a reason to index your website. This in turn churns out relevant results when people are looking for a specific (and competitive) product or a service (might I add solutions) in Google, Yahoo! or Lycos and what not.
Increased Exposure. Think about it, ANYTIME or EVERY TIME you want to look for someone that can give you (or your company) something that is required, you’d probably start on the internet right? I don’t care whether you’re a human resource manager, marketing executive, director or business owner. When you have a company website, it helps expresses your unique products, services or a specific set of solutions on the internet.
Expression of Corporate Identity and Branding. Distinctiveness is the key. An important branding strategy is to have your website expressing the very nature of your business. Anything from your corporate theme color, tag-line or layout makes it stick in your prospect’s head.
TRUST. A carefully crafted website expressing the nature of your business and what it has to offer, if done beautifully well builds TRUST. Any visitor to your company’s website is a prospective client. You want your client to at least give you the opportunity to provide them with the products and services they require. Visual aesthetics, a nice clean corporate image layout and relevant information on a website could easily accomplish this.
Rather Click an URL than Dial Your Business Phone Number. Despite the existence of business directories where you can register your business online, people (prospective clients) are more keen on finding out MORE about you on your own domain (in this case a website). It’s easier to get yourself a business venture or client when you describe your services in FULL detail so that people can find out more about your business. Having your own website would enable this as you are free to elaborate on all the business solutions, products and/or services that you can offer. In turn, people are more likely to call you once they are confident with what you have to offer (which is already explained in detail on your company’s website).
Face it, you can’t rely entirely on your connections. Political figures, people and businesses change all the time. It’s 2010 already, everybody’s going on the internet to look for something they need all the time. Be a part of it and bring your company to an entirely new level by marketing your business online. All of that starts by the initiative to have your own website for your business.
