“Entrepreneurs are the most creative, risk-taking people, but they are in denial of what they really need.” —Melissa Roberts, speaker at WordCamp Kansas City 2017.

While I was at WordCamp – Kansas City, I sat in on a session targeted toward business owners. I walked away with some good questions for our retailers to ask themselves when they are considering a website or other digital marketing services for their store.

1. How complex should my website be? How serious am I about my business? Is it a business or a hobby?

2. Who is my customer? What are their demographics and interests?

3. Where and how does my customer make buying decisions? (website, social media, email)

4. What is my brand identity and positioning? What is my unique value proposition (UVP)? A UVP is a clear statement that describes how you solve your customer’s needs and what distinguishes you from the competition.

5. How much should I pay for a website? Some entrepreneurs want to do their own website, then find they are spreading themselves too thin and do not have the time to do what they do well, which is run their business. Ask yourself what you’re good at and spend your effort on that. Pay someone else to handle the other tasks.