Recently, I read an email that was written by a so-called industry-leader that proclaimed, “Websites are dead.”
In the email, the author puts forth that it’s more important to have a digital funnel… which we all need, of course. However, I find myself needing to advocate for a properly designed and well-coded website, as it’s still the destination for any funnel.
In my view, to throw around statements like “websites are dead” is seriously irresponsible and must have a rebuttal in the form of an opposing viewpoint – and here it is.
In no particular order, here’s a list of reasons why a website is still the most important aspect of your digital footprint:
- CREDIBILITY. To most customers, your website is an indication of how seriously you treat your business. Just take a look at the various aspects of how a superior website will help you acquire business over a competitor whose website is less than stellar:
- Tiebreaker. For when a customer is checking out two companies who are otherwise similar in quality.
- First Impressions. When the customer is learning about your company for the first time.
- Due Diligence. For when a customer has just finished talking to you on that “sales call.”
- BRANDING. Once you get past good design and a fancy logo, the art of branding becomes that of telling your story. Let your customers know who you are, what drives you and why they would be better off in choosing you for their entertainment. Using a website as the tool to tell your story is much easier than using one of the branches in your funnel.
- LEADS. Any of my seminar attendees at DJX and other shows will remember that every year, I preach about the Call-To-Action… and I’ll never stop. Every well-designed website should have at least one CTA per page, with perhaps more on the home page. If your website implements such a CTA strategy, you will end up with leads… lots and lots of leads. Case Study, my client (and friend) Ryan Von Ahn of By Request DJs in Cleveland, Ohio, books over 10-percent of his new business simply through form submissions from his website.
- RETENTION. Following the CTA aspect from above, one of your most prominent CTAs should be prompting website visitors to sign up for your email list. When combined with a productive Drip Campaign that hits the customer periodically over a 12-month period, you’ll win the gig most of the time. A second aspect of Retention is that of Retargeting, where a customer who visits your website will then see ads on Google and/or Facebook from that point onwards. You simply cannot Retarget a customer unless they’ve visited your site.
- TIME-SAVING & CUSTOMER SERVICE. A well-designed website can save you a lot of time, often enough for you to justify the cost of a new website when you take a look at the value of your time vs. the time you save from having your website set up for automation of simple tasks. Here’s just some of the ways that website automation will save you time.
- Contract eSigning. Yes, this is a reality now, of course, and you can do it right from your website.
- Song Requests. DJs, have the forms on your site set up so that guests can make song requests right through your site (and do not send these important guests to a 3rd-party tool) and you’ll reap all the referral benefits when those guests visit you.
- Itinerary Scheduler. Allow the client to enter in “sessions” that contain a Title, Description, Start Time, and Finish Time. Once you’ve received all the client sessions, quickly put them all together, and send the entire event itinerary to the client to sign off on. Note that you can provide guidance to the client, so that you avoid unreasonable expectations.
DJs in any professional sector (Mobile, Club, Touring…. not Bedroom, lol) need to realize that you need both of the following:
- WEBSITE. A properly designed and well-coded website that works for you.
- MARKETING. A program to drive traffic to your website through SEO, Social Media, Experiential, Preferred Vendor Lists, Paid Ads, etc., combined with an equally efficient Retention program.
These two vital aspects work hand-in-hand with each other. You simply cannot have one without the other. Going forward, please keep that in mind, so that you can easily spot when someone is advocating for anything but the above. If your digital footprint follows the above blueprint, then you’ll be well-positioned for success.
Jordan St. Jacques is the President/Lead Digital Marketer at Digitera.Interactive in Ottawa, Ont., Canada.
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