Having a site to market your services- good or bad?

As the title says- is it better to have your own site in order to market your services, or is it just fine to use various forums and "underground trade" networks? Inputs on the same would be highly appreciated

 

I would go as far as stating it is a necessity when you want to come across professional in any industry.

Wise man says: Before you can expect anyone else to take you seriously, you first have to take yourself seriously. This means a professional approach right from the start. A well designed website is part of that approach.

 

Ditto Kraven2. A website gives your customers 24/7 access to you. Your information is available at all times, and if you're a copywriter like me, your website is a direct reflection on how you write: your style, approach, wordings, etc. This is vital for anyone looking to hire you to write for them. [You DID write your own site, didn't you, Copywriters?]

In fact, I'd say having a website is one of the most powerful marketing tools you can have. You can let your customers get to "know" you, to view you as an expert who knows how to get results, to make them feel comfortable dealing with you - all with your website. This is where you blow your own horn to set the train a-moving.

And if you build a list of interested followers and use spot-on autoresponders, your success rate goes even higher! Not a whole lot of money spent to ensure return visitors and customers. The autoresponders keep your name in front of these friendly folks and - when the time comes that they need a copywriter, guess who they will think of first! Yep - you.

So you see, your own website is the most important thing you'll ever write. And the most difficult. And the best marketing tool that you the copywriter could possibly hope for.

Hope this helps,
Dot

 

Thnk you all for your inputs.

 

I would be lost without my site. There is no way I could get everything I want to say here on the forums

 

A website is a must. You use it to showcase your service and to get in touch by customers.
The point is: Even if you have a website, you won't have sales. Clients don't fall in your website randomly. Ranking in Google for your keywords is another nightmare.

Networking is the key. It's fast, secure and also persuasive. You want that your clients trust you. Get them to know you on the forums.

See? They are two interlinked things and you can't go without one.

 

Combination of a site + forums = great marketing

 

Thanks for great responses. I would be working on launching my site soon and try to couple it with the already existing market I have. It would be interesting to see the kind of market I get after making this move- Fingers crossed

 

Any copywriter or freelancer who doesn't have their own website is at a massive disadvantage in the marketplace. Your website is one of your most important marketing weapons... forum marketing doesn't have to be because there are other ways to find clients besides forum marketing. I've lost track of the number of prospects and clients who contacted me because I have a copywriting website. A number of clients found me outside of forums so that's one of the reasons why I don't rely strictly on forum marketing to get new business.

The best approach is to use multiple marketing weapons to ethically attract new business and your website is probably marketing weapon #1.

Take care,

Mike

 

Wrong way of thinking my friend. You don't "get" a market, you choose a market to be in and gear your efforts towards it. Don't sit there waiting for fate to deal you a hand, grab it by the throat and start squeezing until it gives you what you want.

Any business stands or falls with the right attitude, without it the best website in the world can't help you.

 

mate, i get my work purely from my portfolio and networking. having said that, i DO plan to set up a website somewhere down the road as it will allow strangers (or rather, potential clients) "24/7 access to you (me)" (thanks dorothy)

 

Same here. I am also sailing in the same boat as you, mate. All through the last three years that I have been writing online, I have realized that as a writer, one is bound to stagnate without a web site. A site is mandate if one is looking to scale and get better paying gigs. It would, however, be an interesting task for me to figure out how to go about getting a site up... soon!

 

You absolutely need your own site. It gives you alot of credibility, and it gives people a way to find out more about you anytime they want. If you're serious about doing business online, you need your own site.

 

Agreed. Also, your own site makes it possibl to write more about what style of writing you offer (informal, formal,) and what types of topics you accept as well as package offes like "Get 20 articles of 350 words each about same topic for $99" or similar offers you might want to do.

 

For professionalism, have your own site and your own email, not a free email account. It's all about credibility. rg

 

I would say that's the cornerstone of the Internet, wouldn't you?

 

And it's so cheap nowadays to have your own domain and hosting for 2-3 bucks/month so there's no practical reason you'd want to put yourself at disadvantage compared to the competition... Add a free CMS like WordPress and you are set. There are so many free great themes for that platform, some of them even have theme options for the easiest customization.

 

It is THE most essential thing as of now.This will bring whole new and huge crowd to buy your products.Go for the website!

 

Building a website is easy. But building one that reflects yourself takes a lot - a lot. I have seen some sites in some links here that frankly, makes me laugh