When & Why to Outsource Your Website or eCommerce Site
Starting your own art business is incredibly exciting. Whether it’s a side-hustle or full-time, you’re in for an adventure!
Brand new business owners, particularly solopreneurs, enjoy the challenge of trying to figure out multiple functions on their own, like pricing strategy, finances, legal, IT, sales, etc.
And then there’s marketing … they know they need a website, social media, and more. They figure that people will just find them after that. Many business owners start with a DIY attitude, wanting to save money and figuring it just can’t be that hard. Or they realize that a website is important, but don’t want to invest in hiring a marketing specialist just yet.
Seasoned art business owners developing a new or refreshed version of their business tend to understand the reality of the situation. They’ve learned that marketing—particularly digital marketing—is a critical, ongoing function for the lifespan of their business and that it’s worthy of real investment. This could mean either hiring an internal team or outsourcing to the right agency. (Plus, they know that many marketing efforts are tax-deductible, and you get what you pay for.)
The When is easy … unless you’re going to develop your own internal marketing team, the time to start researching and talking to potential digital marketing agencies is immediately. The right agency should help you develop not only your brand and website, but also a comprehensive, consistent, and adaptive marketing strategy.
As for the Why…
1) The first reason is that your time is money. We’ve seen it repeatedly … what takes the average DIYer 1 hour to figure out and do takes us minutes.
We’ve had many frustrated people contact us after spending days trying to DIY it on various platforms only to discover that building a professional-looking art business website is difficult and very time-consuming.
These are highly intelligent people who read how “easy” it is to use a given website tool, only to end up with a painful starter site that has to be entirely rebuilt. They see it and they know it, but it’s only after so much wasted time.
Then there are people who say, “Just build a website for me and teach me how to maintain it.” Unless you’re a technical person with website experience and are prepared to update your website frequently, this notion inevitably goes back into the loop of struggle and wasted time. What else could you have done for your business in that hour?
We witnessed this so much at the start of our business that we no longer sign clients who do not have the technical aptitude to be DIYers. We do make sure every client fully owns their website and knows the basics, but it’s too sad and frustrating to watch these great business ideas stagnate because of time and energy spent on the wrong things.
2) The second reason is that your results will be so much better when you use experts. Trust those who work in websites and eCommerce every single day. We have our own special blend of expertise: design, user experience, processes, writing, technical competence, and an understanding of marketing trends.
Building a professional website that inspires confidence and credibility in potential customers involves much more than dropping in a few headlines and pictures.
For example, I can cook. I can find and read a recipe, buy the ingredients, and throw some things into a crockpot or oven. But I am not a chef. A chef is an expert at their craft; they know exactly what they want to buy; they don’t need to meticulously read recipes; they have a feel for it, or better yet, create their own. They’re artists with amazing technical skills too. And they can do both the artistic and technical aspects of their job quickly and on a large scale … not just for a family, but for a whole restaurant full of people. Every day.
When it comes to digital marketing, you can cook something up or hire a master chef. What will be more credible and compelling to your potential customers?
We understand the dilemma … there are so many agencies to choose from and their services aren’t cheap. But if you want to build a solid art business from the get-go, choose experience. Schedule your free consultation with us to get started.
