When you began your vending machine business, you made a Facebook business page and Instagram to market to your audience, right? That’s an awesome start! However, I urge you to also create your own customized website for your company.
It’s a crucial step to launching your business!
Websites are how your customers will be able to find you. While social media platforms are wonderful assets and complement your business, they are not enough on their own. Think of your website as your digital footprint and your virtual storefront. It’s like staking claim to your own deluxe real estate in Buckhead Atlanta!
Owning a website allows you to showcase everything you have to offer. It helps your customers learn more about you, what you do and how they can benefit from purchasing your products or working with you.
The basics for constructing your vending machine website boils down to three essential elements:
- Your brand (“Who are you?”)
- Your domain name (“Where are you?”)
- Your services, skills and products (“What do you do?”)
Launching a website can be a challenge, but the rewards are substantial. Here’s every single thing you’ll need to create a lucrative website for your vending machine business.
What’s Your Brand?
What do you want your customers to picture when they think of you and your business? What words and color palettes describe your personality? It’s important to determine your identity so you’ll know how to promote your business to clients.
Here are some examples of stylish vending business websites that you can draw inspiration from:
What’s Your Domain Name and How Do You Get One?
Your trade name is how customers all over the world will be able to discover your vending machine company amongst the long list of other businesses.
According to Google Domains, you should consider these three tips when choosing your domain name:
- Length
- Simplicity
- Keywords
Think “short, sweet and to the point” when creating your domain name. It’s smart to consider your full trade name as your domain name. Yet if it’s three words or more, consider using keywords that are specific to your brand and services. Check out Brandon Gaille’s “101 Catchy Vending Machine Business Names” for extra guidance!
Once you settle on a domain name, you’ll need to register it and purchase web hosting to establish your website. I like to use Namecheap! At the time of this article, you can secure your domain name for as low as $8.88 per year!
Web hosting is 100% required to finish setting up your website. Without it, your website won’t be live on the internet…as well as your customers won’t be able to access it or use your online store. I recommend hosting from Bluehost or HostGator. Both hosting services offer a variety of vital tools for your website (like speediness, mobile-friendliness, advanced security, and more) for as low as $10 a month.
What Goes on Your Vending Business Website?
It’s time to design! There are many options to choose from to build a polished website. I like to use WordPress for creating my own sites, but you can use Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, or any other platform you like. Keep in mind that these sites range from beginner to expert knowledge of web development.
The sites listed above all offer free and paid plans that include built-in hosting and plenty of design control. However, there’s no shame in hiring someone else to do it for you. I would suggest Fiverr as a good place to start!
What are Your Services and Products?
You’re half-way to the finish line! Below is my curated list of each item to complete your vending machine business website:
- Service Area – List neighborhoods, cities, or zip codes
- Sample Product Selection
- Hours of Operation
- Contact Form and/or your contact information
- About Section
- Business Address (optional)
It’s a really good idea to use social media to advertise your business, try LinkedIn! It’s a much better social media platform for business to business, or B2B, services than Facebook and Instagram. Whatever you decide, just remember the goal is to make it easy for the customer to find you!
Congrats! Your website is officially finished and set to launch!
If you’re ready to market your vending machine business and bring in customers and sales…there’s just a couple extra steps you’ll need to follow. Trust me, it will make all the difference!
Your visibility is key to your success. There is an abundance of competition online all working hard to draw eyes to their business. Get a step ahead by adding your site to Google My Business, https://www.google.com/business/. This will help you improve your rank among the other vending companies.
This task might take a bit of time to complete, so get started as soon as you can! Now that you have your website primed, you’re able to go out and find locations!
If you have any questions, comment below or reach out to me. I’m happy to help you!