Let’s discuss digital assets and why owning a website is one important asset to consider in 2020.
Until you begin to approach the online /digital terrain as offline, you’d be missing out on a ton of opportunities.
Mr. John Obidi, a popular Nigerian motivational speakerin one of his earliest posts this year recommended acquiring web design skill in 2020, and I’m seconding the motion.
For business owners, to position your business in 2020, you need a website. This is because the same way you find it necessary to rent a shop, kiosk, warehouse, hut, stall, mall, etc, to display your goods & services in a manner appealing to your target customers, so it is online and can only be achieved with a WEBSITE!
Before you start any business offline, it is advisable to clear up with the Cooperate Affairs Commission (CAC). That way your business gets a name to identify it. While it may be exact same online, the process is much less stressful — what you’d need do is buy & register a DOMAIN NAME suitable for your business. That’s all!
LOCATION is another field to consider when choosing a shop for your business right? Some people prefer high brow areas, and others, low life areas, suburbs. This is same online! When you see different websites with extension .com, .ng, .co.za, .etc, it quickly tells where the website is located.
Next would be to set up your SHOP, let’s assume that’s what you’re going for. Offline, you will need to hire a carpenter to construct a shelf, table, and all necessary wood work needed to set up. You will also be needing a painter right? Because you can’t afford to
keep your customers in an unkempt environment. Same way it is online!
To achieve set up online, all you need is a “THEME” added to your website. Depending on your chosen set up, there are free themes as well as paid themes to meet your ecstatic desires.
Now, your shop is ready to showcase your goods and services for business. Feeling excited already 😀😊.
Next thing to consider would be to hire workers to serve in respective capacities like the reception, sales, accounting, office assistant etc.
In a typical offline scenario, you’ll quickly hire a sales person or receptionist, for instance, whose function is to attend to your customers needs. Same way it is online! With the use of “plugins” — for clarity sake, plugins are modules to perform specific functions. Jobs like front desks/ receptionist, accounting, etc are seamlessly handled by various CRM plugins like, Salesforce, Zoho. CRM is Customer Relationship Management.
Last but not the least is VISIBILITY. Every business thrives on visibility. And this is where many miss it.
Let me clear up an impression here, your main online home (Shop, mall, warehouse, kiosk, etc) is your WEBSITE, not your Social media accounts.
Just as sign posts, bill boards, fliers, serve as pointers to offline shops to increase visibility and patronage, Social media only serves the purpose of creating visibility and building traffic to your websites. Reason is, your social media accounts; facebook, instagram, twitter, reddit etc, does not give the flexibility for installations of themes, plugins like I mentioned above, because it doesn’t have the framework for it.
However, social media, if used right, can boost your business even much more than offline means— We are talking about reaching billions of people from a spot.
I used the phrase, “if used right”, because social media platforms are not owned by individuals, there are rules that must be carefully adhered to if one does not want to get restricted, suspended or banned from using it. But with a website, it ISN’T so. You literally own your website for the entire period your payment is still active. That way, you can decide to tweak out just about anything to get your desired result.
The world has gone digital and you must take advantage of it.
It is easy to own a website depending on what you want—whether it’s a desk, shop, kiosk, Hut, mall, or even a warehouse kind of website. It is up to you!
