The power of a website for small businesses cannot be
emphasized enough. It is a must have marketing tool for
small business owners.
Your website is a gateway to a worldwide group of customers
and prospects; it markets and sells your products and
services; it attracts and converts sales leads; it
establishes your credibility and expertise, and much more.
And as a bonus, a website can do all this at a relatively
low cost to build, maintain and update.
However, just because you have a website up and running,
doesn't mean that it's doing what it's supposed to do in
terms of marketing and sales.
First you need to be really clear on what the purpose of
your website is. For most small business owners and
independent professionals, your website should do the
following:
* Attract qualified prospects
* Convert prospects to customers
* Convert customers to repeat, profitable clients
* Collect the names of people who are interested in your
business offerings
* Act as a 24/7 sales person - taking and processing orders
and providing information
* Establish you and your company's expertise by making
articles, products, resources, speaking schedules, etc.
accessible
So, does your website do all of the above? If not, there
are 3 key areas that you can take a look at:
1. Content of your site
2. Design of your site
3. Promotion of your site
Let's look at each of these in more detail.
1. Content of your site
Most sites focus on the business's products, services,
credentials, history, bios and processes. This information
is not the primary motivator for why people visit your site
- especially for the first time.
People go to a company's website to seek a solution to some
problem or pain that they are experiencing in their
personal or professional life. They quickly scan the
website to see if the site is aimed at them and if it
offers what they are seeking.
They'll download free information (like a special report,
ezine or article) that addresses what they want and need.
They'll sign up for an appointment or buy something, only
if your website content clearly outlines the benefits of
your services and products and it's something that the web
visitors want.
2. Design of your site
Make sure that your website's design, navigation, links and
graphics are all serving the prospects and customers needs.
Are they able to quickly and easily find what they need,
take action and get any questions answered? Are you
getting people to do what you need them to do?
For instance, I want people to sign up for my free special
report so that they quickly get a taste for my marketing
philosophy and they can decide if they want more
information by clicking on my coaching services page. But
I also want to capture their name and email address so that
I can start a marketing relationship with them. So, my
website is designed to make it easy for people to get the
special report and for me to get their contact information
- the opt-in box is on the top of every page and also
mentioned on a couple of the web pages.
Remember that it is the content that will keep visitors on
your site and visiting again and again. However, if your
website's design makes it difficult to find and get any of
this useful content, they will leave and probably won't
come back.
3. Promotion of your site
You've got great benefits-driven and customer-focused
content on your site and the navigation makes it super
simple and fast for people visiting your website to find
what they need.
Now you want to promote your website as many ways as you
can to make sure that you are getting the first-time and
repeat visits to the site.
Some ways that you can start promoting your website
immediately are:
* Write articles, with your website link included in the
resource box at the end, and send to article submission
sites, ezines, forums, websites, associations and
publications of companies that are targeting the same group
of people as you
* Identify and use the keywords people use to search for
your website (and similar sites)
* Make it easy for people to forward on your ezine and
articles to friends and associates
* Make sure your website URL is listed on all marketing
materials: business card, letterhead, brochures, direct
mail, ads, etc.
* Give out your website address anytime you're talking
about your business - at seminars, speaking engagements,
signature on bottom of emails, networking events, on your
phone message, workshops, fundraisers, business functions,
and so on
Take a look today at your website statistics and see if
you're pulling in and keeping all the visitors and
prospects that you want and need. If you're not happy with
the numbers you see, then spend some time with your website
and make sure that the content, design and promotion of
your site is doing all it's supposed to do.
----------------------------------------------------
Jody Gabourie, The Small Business Marketing Coach, delivers
simple, innovative and powerful marketing strategies to
help business owners find and keep their most profitable
clients. To learn more about how she can help you take your
business to the next level, and to sign up for her FREE
special report, ezine and articles, visit her site at
http://www.JodyGabourieMarketingCoach.com
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