Why you need a website
- Kaitlyn Cowling
- Oct 16, 2018
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 27, 2021
In the age of social media and creating a following for yourself on platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube why do you need your own dedicated website?
For one thing, a place to market yourself is essential for people in the creative industry. A website is somewhere cohesive to put everything you have created and are working towards, as well as somewhere to further establish your image. The number of people trying to be successful in the creative industry is increasing, as seen in the 2016 study conducted by the Creative Industries Federation “The [creative] sector contributed £91.8bn gross value added, which was bigger than the automotive, life sciences, aerospace, oil and gas sectors combined”, “The sector now generates 5.3% of the UK economy”. Due to this, it is more important now than ever to stand out online and have an original professional image. Since a large majority of those in the creative industry are either a part of micro-businesses (95% according to [The Creative Industries Federation, 2016]) or are freelance and self-employed, (“35% are self-employed, […] Freelancers make up a significant portion of self-employed workers in creative industries,[CIF, 2016]) if you don’t successfully market yourself you will not gain a following with whom to share your work.
Most people have social media, but not many have a website. If you put a lot of time and effort into carefully crafting your image while creating a site, it shows your passion and drive to be successful. Whereas on social media much of the work is done for you in the app/websites design.
So who in the creative industry needs a website? Musicians and internet influencers who want to sell merchandise to their fans, owners of micro businesses, online-only companies, writers and authors to name a select few. People may use a website to maintain an image, provide information and sell products.
Musicians such as Conan Gray and Catfish and The Bottlemen have websites that perfectly match their established images, for example, Conan Gray’s site, designed by him, features scanned drawings, pictures and other random scraps he has collected, like a digital scrapbook. The overall aesthetic of his website fits perfectly with the online persona Conan portrays on his YouTube channel and other social media.
Even the product descriptions he has written match his image and voice.
This is Conan’s YouTube page, as you can see he also has a colour scheme (Primary colours) associated with his brand.
Although Conan’s website only allows people to buy his merchandise, through the design and product description, he further establishes his brand and image and because it is all so pleasing to the eye people are more likely to follow him on social media, listen to and buy his music.
The band Catfish and The Bottlemen however, use their website not only to sell merchandise but to promote albums and tour tickets as well as provide content such as lyrics, photos, and videos. The website’s design fits the band’s image with a heavy focus on the album’s visuals.
Online clothing and merchandise companies such as DFTBA work with many online influencers to sell and ship their merchandise. Without a website, it would be impossible to sell and ship merch at the level that they do — internationally.
Today more people than ever are shopping online “ 51% percent of consumers say they prefer to shop online” (E-commerce news, 2018). Different companies are competing for the consumer’s attention with professional and sleek images and websites that are more likely to attract a buyer’s attention. Research has shown that image is important -“32% of marketers say visual images are the most important form of content for their business” (Mawhinney, 2018). It not only attracts consumers but people are more likely to retain information regarding the company: “When people hear information, they’re likely to remember only 10% of that information three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information three days later”( Mawhinney, 2018).
Chef, Andrew, known as ‘Binging with Babish’ on YouTube uses his site as a place for recipes and Youtube videos, as well as somewhere to advertise his book, Patreon, and podcast. Babish also includes a section with his contact details (vital information that facilitates brand deals). Through the ‘contact’ section of a website, companies can get in touch with freelancers with influence to collaborate and promote their business/product. Just like Conan’s, Andrew’s site also matches the image and theme of his YouTube channel.
Writers use websites to build a loyal readership, establish their brand/image, as well as a hub for everything from promoting books and short stories to blogs and mailing lists.
Gillian Flynn has a successful website that links to the design of her book covers and therefore her brand via the font used.
The people I have mentioned that I feel have created and maintained strong images with the assistance of a website all have a significant following online. This shows that even if having a site doesn’t make you more successful, it is at least a part of establishing a successful professional image.
Sources:
Industry Statistics | Creative Industries Federation Find out some of the most important and formative statistics from the creative industries in the UK, dating back…
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