I don’t blame you.
I believe that everyone needs a website and a blog. This gives you the best opportunity to communicate with your customers. I can’t imagine any business that would not benefit from a web site and a blog!
There are countless of ways to get a website, some of them extremely expensive, some of them really cheap. I am in negotiations right now to set up a contract with a couple of guys who can do a snazzy job for not much money – think a couple hundred dollars. If you hire a full featured website designer your cost will range from around $1500 for a small basic website into the tens of thousands of dollars for something larger. Of course, if you have an 18 year old nephew then he (or your niece) might have been making websites for years.You can also do what I have chosen to do in order to start me out – create a blog that functions as both a website and a blog.
You can run a blog yourself very cheap or free. I will write a “how-to” article in a little bit. You should however count on setting some time aside to do this.
Once you have your website and blog then you have to make decisions on how to advertise it. Social media accounts are an easy, cheap way to do it. You also have to consider if you want to run adwords ads, Facebook ads, or if you want to focus all your attention on social media. Even if you hire a social media manager this is by far the cheapest way. You might still want to advertise a good article. Your social media manager should be able to assist you to come up with a good strategy.
In order to help you promote your website and blog I recommend you set up at least three social media accounts. Which ones you choose will depend on your customer’s age group, interests and the access you might have to additional information like video’s etc.
You can do all of this yourself for very little money, even for free. Or, you can choose to hire a social media manager. You should expect to spend from 5-20 hours a week managing your social media advertising if you choose to do it yourself. Depending on your accounts and how much you have to say, it can take more or less time. However, most people need 30 minutes to 1 hour 5 days a week to keep their social media accounts updated and running smoothly. On top of that you will have to spend some time each week writing informative articles to keep your customers interested and engaged.
To sum this up -
Most businesses can benefit hugely from a website and a blog. A website can cost as little as a few hundred dollars or as much as $30,000. It is easy to get a blog for free, or for a minimal hosting fee of $7-$50 a month. It is possible to establish a blog that functions as both a website and a blog.
Once you have your website and a blog you should establish three or more social media accounts, and plan to keep them updated on a daily basis. Social media accounts are free. After you have established your accounts you can make decisions as to whether or not you want to spend some money advertising through various online outlets.
All of this together can cost you from $0-$3000 a month.
Please let me know if you still have questions about all this. I will get back to you within 24 hours, usually in a couple of hours. I am can give a bit of feedback and advice to get your started. You can either leave me a message, or if you prefer you are welcome to give me a call at 707-206-5341.
Malene
