You're awesome. Your website should be too.
So here's the deal. You're a creative person that wants to do creative work for a living. Regardless of whether you want to freelance, work for a creative company, or start your own company, you're going to need a strong web presence. The cornerstone of that web presence is your website. I would even say that most people will look for your website before trying to contact you in any other way (visiting your company, finding you on Facebook, etc.).Lots of creative folks fall into one of two groups when it comes to discussing their website. Group A thinks that the only way to have a website is to know how to code/design it or pay someone tremendous amounts of money to do it for you. Group B doesn't see the point of an actual website when there are things like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, etc.
If you fall into either of these groups, read on. If you don't, maybe you should read on anyway...
First I'll address Group A. There are a few things you should know that should make you feel better about purchasing/creating your website.
- It doesn't have to be expensive. There are a TON of open-source (free) tools out there to help get you started. For example, I know several designers that use WordPress, indexhibit, and Cargo Collective for their personal websites. Their sites look fantastic. If those three services don't sound familiar to you, I recommend clicking on them to find out more about them.
- Find a good host. Hosting can be tricky. It's generally easy to set up, but I've run across so many hosting websites that feel like a used car dealership. They bombard you with options and features, and it can be pretty overwhelming. We use HostGator here at lbobi, and I've also used A Small Orange as a web host and been very pleased with their service. My advice would be to do some research before purchasing any plan. Even better, talk to someone you know or someone at the hosting company and tell them what your needs are for your website, and they can help you out.
- Be willing to shell out a little cash. As the great Jeff Rodgers is fond of saying, if this is your business, treat it like a business. If you aren't satisfied with tweaking a theme that could potentially be used by hundreds of other people, find someone with web skillz to help you out! This could be a small design firm or a fellow creative entrepreneur like yourself. Having your own unique look is important; if you can't afford to get that custom website right now it's definitely something to consider saving for in the long run.
- Last resort: DIY Web code is not as scary as it seems. You can learn the basics in a couple of weeks with little to no blood, sweat, or tears. The reason this is the last resort is because web design is not so easy. It's not easy to design how the navigation works, how images are displayed, or how social media factors into your site. If that sounds overwhelming to you, it may be. Try those other things first.
On to Group B. Here are just a few reasons why having your own website is better than using social tools as your pseudo-website.
- It's PUBLIC. To me, putting all of your stuff on a social network feels like advertising in public bathroom. Most people probably aren't there to look at your work (with a few exceptions), and it's hard to communicate with your visitors.
- Too many distractions. Websites like Flickr and Facebook want people to connect on several levels. They constantly fill the users' sidebars with "Related Content" that you have no control over. If they manage to find you at all, it's likely they'll be whisked away after just a few seconds to another creative's profile.
- Control of presentation. You generally don't have any control over how your work is being presented on social sites, and you don't know who your audience is.
- It just feels right. What if your insurance company decided to run their business through Facebook? Would you still want to do business with them? Probably not. With a website, you can give your potential client the feeling that they are important, that you are legit, and that you care about your work.
Well that's it for now. Please share in the comments if you know any other good web resources or have a good example of how having a website has made a difference in your business.
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