Without a website do you exist?

Posted by: Krishna De | Posted on: November 21st, 2006 | 2 Comments | Posted in: Uncategorized

How many times have you met someone at a business or networking meeting and scan their business card to find they have no website?

What impact does that make on you?

Increasingly when we pass someone our business card, they are subconciously looking to see if you have a website so they can take a look at your solutions, services and products after they have met you.

Recently at a networking meeting with the “Independent Consultants and Advisors Group” (a subset of the Institute of “Management Consultants”) I was suprised to find that less than 60% of the consultants had a website.

In fact I was the only person at the meeting who was using online marketing strategies from distributing a regular newsletter “Biz Growth Express“, to key word strategies and pay per click advertising strategies.

Many of the consultants had been in business for over 10 years but had not developed an online brand because:

• they did not know where to start
• they were not sure who could support them
• they didn’t believe they needed one.

Increasingly people use the internet to review your online presence to validate either what they have heard about you or what you said to them when they met you. 

Over 35% of people “Google” individuals rather than companies to see what is written about them and how stong theor personal brand online is.

Even if you have no intention of building a business on the internet, generating leads from the internet or selling products and services from the internet it is critical for us to build our brand online.

You could say, without a website you just don’t exist.

As we come towards the close of 2006, what actions do you need to take so that 2007 you stand out from the crowd and have a compelling and professional online brand?

And if you are looking for a good model to base your online identity from, take a look at my colleague Ann Greene of Allagi Consulting and a consultant in team effectiveness. 

Her new website went live this last week, built on a WordPress platform so she can update all the content herself.  And what’s more she’s included a blog which will mean that she is going to increase her ability of being found online with lots of relevant content and build a community of people who are interested in her area of expertise.