Ep. 086 Niching to Web Design in Your Service-Based Business with Deann Burris

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Having a beautiful, professional website can help you look more legitimate, increase your sales, and reach new customers. But building a website? Not so easy.

That’s why web design is one of the best things that business owners can outsource. A professional web designer will help you to make sure that your website functions properly and turns visitors into customers.

Today on The Support Squad, I am thrilled to introduce you to Deann Burris, one of my star members from inside The Support Squad Membership Community. She’s going to share why she chose web design as her niche and what makes her different from all the other designers out there. Whether you’re interested in offering web design as a service or interested in outsourcing building your website, you’re going to love this episode!

Tune in to hear:

• Why Deann chose to niche down to web design
• What makes Deann different from other web designers
• How her websites help her clients to grow their business
• The impact of The Support Squad Membership on Deann’s business

Let me tell you a little bit about Deann Burris: 

Deann Burris is a web designer for service-based entrepreneurs. As a web designer, she helps passionate female entrepreneurs create beautiful websites that increase their profitability and impact.

She founded Back Valley Creative, a digital marketing agency, to support female entrepreneurs . She believes technology doesn't have to be complicated or overwhelming - you just need to partner with the right person to help you achieve your goals.

Deann lives with her husband, 2 dogs and 4 cats in Soddy Daisy, TN and loves gardening, cooking gourmet meals, and spending time outdoors.

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 Why did you choose to niche down to web design?

When I was researching what I wanted to do, I really wanted to do all the things. I was attracted to email marketing, social media marketing, and web design. 

I realized I could be really okay at a lot of things or I could be really good at one thing. So as I was building my own website, I thought, “You know, I really like doing this.” 

I’d built websites over the years for friends and family. I've built blogs for myself, which didn't really last because I didn't actually like writing the blog - I liked building it. 

So I thought “I could do this. I could do web design.”  

What makes you different from other web designers/VAs who offer web design?

Part of it is my background. I've spent over 20 years in the hospitality industry, so I've run my own business and I know what it's like to run a business,  so I can connect with my clients on that level. 

I also have such a passion for customer service and for the client experience. In the planning stages of my business, that was something I really wanted to get right the first time. I wanted processes & systems in place so that my clients felt taken care of. 

A lot of the clients I deal with have no idea what it takes to build a website and it's a lot of work on their end as well. If I have processes in place, it allows me to spend that time with the client to be able to walk them through that and feel like they're taking care of. 

When the website launches, they feel like they were part of the process and that it went smoothly and it wasn't as overwhelming as they thought it was going to be.

With other VA's offering web design or people offering similar services, it really does come down to how you make your clients feel and if they feel like they were involved in the process, but that it wasn't overwhelming.

How do your website designs help your clients grow their business?

I actually had a chat with a potential client, and she has a Facebook group that has been shut down several times now by Facebook. So she's looking for a way to be able to have a membership community off of Facebook and have her own website. 

That's so important in the business world - to have that real estate that belongs to you on the web. 

Most people that are shopping these days are going online, so they're looking to see your business online. I think it's really important to have that.

And when you work with an experienced web designer, they know how to build a website that looks really good, but also functions really well. It helps you to increase your sales because they're concerned about the user experience, making sure that the website works properly. 

Working with a web designer will help you to refocus your website back onto your client and that will help your business grow. 

How has being a member of the Support Squad helped you in your business?

The community is wonderful. There are so many groups where negativity comes in or there's competition and it's really not that way at all.  

With The Support Squad, everybody is so supportive of each other. We cheer each other on, we celebrate when we have wins.  

The resources inside of The Support Squad Membership are awesome. In the planning stages, the Business Foundations Trello Board was my go-to when I was planning everything. A lot of the things that I've gotten set up on the front end to help me be more confident came from the resources that I learned about in The Support Squad. 

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