We just want a good fucking story

I don’t often build websites. I’ve never particularly liked the process and the thought of developing custom HTML and CSS has always made me feel ill (let alone ajax, java, python, etc.). What stopped me from being able to successfully design websites in the past was the clunkiness of old “drag and drop” style web design platforms. If your website didn’t fit in a predestined template, or your client wanted something more extravagant than what these web platforms offered, you were screwed. Even more so when working with the budgets I was working with at the time.

I asked him why do you need this or that? Are these things your company is doing already? How do you plan on attracting these customers you’re looking for, and simply why do you need a website?

People get so hung up on the fact they need a website as though it’s a digital business card, like coming up on google is the equivalent of having a blue tick next to your name on Instagram. Yet so many websites fail because these businesses don’t fully understand who they are and for whom they’re serving. Such an important part of developing a business and a brand is determining what you do, who for, and why you do it. More specifically, what makes you unique and how you provide value. If you don’t know how to explain this, then you won’t be able to create a successful website, let alone a successful brand. As a product providing business, you may be able to generate profit based on the quality of your goods and word of mouth alone, but scalability and brand development are out of the picture.

People misunderstand and undervalue the importance of storytelling, of coming up with a concise summary of why you’re unique and how you provide value in a way that matches your unique tone-of-voice and personality. That’s what makes a website, or a brand for that matter, come to life.

Create a story, something that people can relate to and align their needs with. If you can do this and stick to it, then any website, campaign, or client meeting becomes second nature. If you can build a story around your business and truly believe it and sell it, you have the startings of a brand. You don’t need a website, or a logo, Instagram, linkedin, or anything else – you need a story. The rest can come later.