April 22, 2020
Why is WincLocal free?
Is it really free? Yes! How does that work? Well, it's actually pretty simple..
ADVERTISEMENT
As we've been working with local Winchester small businesses to set up new WincLocal profiles, one question we hear a lot is: Can it really be free?
The answer (of course) is: Yes!
But we know that's not super believable. (We'd be suspicious, too!) So we thought we'd explain a little more about why WincLocal is free. And about what you can expect from it going forward.
The Need: COVID-19
Not surprisingly, the idea to build WincLocal was born from the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses were struggling to control their messaging, and many couldn't update their websites or social media accounts fast enough to keep up with new regulations and public safety information. For weeks, we all showed up at businesses expecting them to be open, only to find they'd just recently closed or weren't providing a service the way we'd expected.
In a day when technology is so cheap and easy to come by, how could that be the case?
As a software company, it made sense for us to build a solution to alleviate some of the messaging backlog. It took us just 20 hours and a single weekend to build and launch the first version of WincLocal. And we started offering for free to local businesses.
The answer (of course) is: Yes!
But we know that's not super believable. (We'd be suspicious, too!) So we thought we'd explain a little more about why WincLocal is free. And about what you can expect from it going forward.
The Need: COVID-19
Not surprisingly, the idea to build WincLocal was born from the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses were struggling to control their messaging, and many couldn't update their websites or social media accounts fast enough to keep up with new regulations and public safety information. For weeks, we all showed up at businesses expecting them to be open, only to find they'd just recently closed or weren't providing a service the way we'd expected.
In a day when technology is so cheap and easy to come by, how could that be the case?
As a software company, it made sense for us to build a solution to alleviate some of the messaging backlog. It took us just 20 hours and a single weekend to build and launch the first version of WincLocal. And we started offering for free to local businesses.
But.. How Does It Make Money?
Well, it doesn't. That's the thing! We're eating the cost of creating the app, making it accessible, and presenting it to you! But we do this stuff all the time, and we're pretty good at it. So it's not that bad.
And we're offering WincLocal free to use for small businesses indefinitely. We don't have plans to charge for anything that's currently included — like content publishing, social media links, Google maps integration, etc. Those are things you can already get for free; we're just making them easier to use, and locally focused.
Well, it doesn't. That's the thing! We're eating the cost of creating the app, making it accessible, and presenting it to you! But we do this stuff all the time, and we're pretty good at it. So it's not that bad.
And we're offering WincLocal free to use for small businesses indefinitely. We don't have plans to charge for anything that's currently included — like content publishing, social media links, Google maps integration, etc. Those are things you can already get for free; we're just making them easier to use, and locally focused.
Okay.. How Can I Sign Up?
That's the question you should be asking!
Right now, we're controlling signups manually — so we can validate the quality of business profiles and make sure they're linked to the real owners. If you don't have a profile yet, or if you want to access yours, just reach out to us to get in touch. We'd love to have you on board!
That's the question you should be asking!
Right now, we're controlling signups manually — so we can validate the quality of business profiles and make sure they're linked to the real owners. If you don't have a profile yet, or if you want to access yours, just reach out to us to get in touch. We'd love to have you on board!
Will It Ever Make Money?
We hope so. But we're not there yet. There might be a day when premium features are available that we'll charge for. But right now that's not something we're thinking too much about. We can shoulder the burden to keep WincLocal afloat, and we will as long as we have great local businesses supporting one another and using the tool.
We hope so. But we're not there yet. There might be a day when premium features are available that we'll charge for. But right now that's not something we're thinking too much about. We can shoulder the burden to keep WincLocal afloat, and we will as long as we have great local businesses supporting one another and using the tool.