5 Ways Your Website Can Support Your Community
No business was built by one person alone. Every small business, no matter whether it's a corner shop or a website selling gourmet meal kits, got where it is without the support of its community. According to the Heavy Chef e-commerce entrepreneur education report, created in partnership with xneelo, 72% of entrepreneurs believe their peers – fellow members of the small business community – have had the biggest positive impact on their business.
In this article, our friends at xneelo outline how you can use your business or e-commerce website to serve your community, and do your part to pay it forward.
Use your website to educate
62% of business owners interviewed for the entrepreneur education report consider their knowledge of running a business to be poor to average. Depending on the type of business you run and sector you operate in, you can draw on your own expertise to share valuable tips and advice for your community. Use your website to share educational resources, such as guides or tutorials, that can help local businesses and individuals improve their skills or knowledge.
If you run a marketing business, for example, you can share a series of tutorial videos on how to market a business, or offer tips for the best digital marketing tools to help small business owners overcome certain challenges.
Share your own journey
Starting a business and learning the ins and outs can be tough. Sharing your own challenges could be the inspiration someone needs to finally turn their side hustle into a fully-fledged business. Use your website's About page to share your story, or post a video where you talk about it in your own words. As a business owner you want to be transparent. Not only does this lend authenticity to your business, but it will also earn you the respect of your peers who are on the same journey.
Share success stories
Use your blog or news pages to highlight local businesses, charities, or individuals making a positive impact in your community. Xneelo is a web hosting company, but they use their Customer Stories blog to shine a light on the amazing small businesses that host their websites with them. A web page is a small piece of online real estate, but the brand awareness and marketing benefits can make a real difference.
Become part of a new community
Keep an eye open for community events you can join or consider creating your own. Your website is the perfect channel for creating awareness around community events, discussions and challenges. Make it easy for your visitors to communicate with each other and with you by adding forums and chat rooms to your website, as well as easy links out to your social media groups.
There are also numerous existing communities you can join. Did you know that anyone who uses WordPress is considered part of the WordPress community? Valuable knowledge sharing and networking opportunities happen at monthly Meetups that take place in most major cities, including South Africa.
Recommend other businesses
Word of mouth is just as effective online as it is offline. You can use your website to recommend another business in a variety of ways.
If your website offers culinary products, recipes or ingredients, for example, why not recommend local wines or condiments? Or if your website needs photography, choose a local attraction for the shoot or use local products in the styling. Another popular idea is to include a list of your preferred or recommended suppliers on your website to credit the businesses that helped you get where you are.
No matter which community you're a part of, whether it's your local community, the industry you operate in, or the small business community as a whole, you can leverage your website to help support and strengthen others.
This advice was compiled by our friends at hosting provider xneelo.