As a direct seller, we are always looking for new and different ways to market ourselves and stand out from the crowd. Am I right? Think about it – in most cases hundreds, thousands and sometimes tens of thousands are selling the EXACT same product as you. So, how do YOU stand out from your colleagues? How do you connect with YOUR customers? How do you differentiate and build your own brand within your corporate brand?

It’s a no-brainer: You add a website to your marketing strategy.

Here are 10 proven reasons to have a website to make your direct sales business stand out in a crowded marketplace:

1. You can be found. Being able to include your location is a game-changer for your business. You will show up in search results when potential customers are searching for your name or product geographically. Most corporate websites don’t allow customers to search by zip code or city, but guess what? Google will happily deliver your website when someone searches for “your product + your city”!

2. You can share updates with your customers. You can share your story, your experiences, new releases, tips and tricks related to your product. A website is not short-term content like on social media where it’s in front of your customer for a day or two at most. It’s always there even years from now when someone is searching.

3. You can blog. While this may sound daunting, it’s basically just a platform to post updates, events, etc. Your customers are building a relationship with you even if you’re not sitting down having coffee with them. They’re connecting with you and cultivating a relationship with you through your blog content.

4. It elevates your personal brand. I am so passionate about this one! Building your personal brand within your company’s brand is HUGE. It takes your personal brand to a whole new level when you have a pretty, branded website that isn’t just the same ‘ol cookie-cutter website that is provided by your corporate office.

5. You can tell your story. On your website, you can share why you are passionate about your company and what it has done for your family. This is a great place to send potential new team members and invite them to connect with you when part of your story resonates with them.

6. You can grow your contact list. By capturing contact information, you can begin to build a relationship over email. Having an email list allows you yet another avenue to connect with your customers. This is a two-way street. You can collect email addresses on your website and you can also drive traffic to blog posts and landing pages through your email marketing campaigns.

7. Your website fuels your social media growth. Once your customers end up on your website, they can easily click to join your Facebook groups, follow you on Instagram or on any other social media platform. This automates the process of growing your social media channels.

8. You can share customer testimonials.  While I know my customers love to hear from me and hear all about my experiences, hearing it straight from another customer increases credibility and brings another perspective to the table. Having that 3rd party validation on your website can strengthen your product reviews and raise its visibility among followers.

9. You can customize landing pages on your website. Okay, this is a good one. It sounds like an advanced skill, but trust me – it’s not too difficult. You can create landing pages. These are hidden web pages that you can’t navigate to from your homepage or the navigation menu. They come in handy when you’re driving traffic to a specific page with information specific to that customer subset. This works perfectly for event leads, party or show specific information or even pages based on an audience you’re reaching (like new moms, grandparents, team members only, etc.).

10. You can sharpen your skills. Hello, professional development. It’s a new tool in your toolbox. This is pretty incredible and why I love direct sales so much. You have an opportunity to grow and learn. While creating a website from scratch can be a ton of work or a lot of money, we can help! Check out Oh My, Hi! Its our simple fill-in-the-blank way to create a website.

How do you use a website in your business? What other ways would you use a website in your marketing strategy this year? Let us know in the comments below!