So, you have a business…large, small, in the middle? Is your company as big as Coca-Cola? As small as Kev’s Light Bulb Changing Service? Somewhere in between? Regardless, you probably have a website, one of the millions of websites in the world. So, I have to ask, why? Because everyone else does? So people know you have a business? So your stakeholders can find you? To tell the world about your product and services? YES! All correct, but not the real reason.
You have a website to attract, manage and retain customers, ON-LINE. That’s it. That is the only reason. It does not matter what is on your site, or how it looks, or the theme of your site…commerce, social commentary, information, whatever. Your site should attract the people you are looking for, help you manage their experience, and retain them as customers, regardless of the definition of customer. So, how do you do that???
Your customer (consumer) is online. According to Forrester, Pew, Nielsen, HitWise, Kudzu and Borrell…LOTS of your customers are online. 16 Billion monthly searches, 38 Billion monthly Yahoo page reviews, 150 million daily active Facebook users. They are out there…your customer, your consumer, your way to make money. So you have to ask yourself…how do I get them to my little website? Out of the millions of websites, how do they find yours? Better question, how do consumers find ANY website? And how do they interact with you when they do find your site?
Well, since your site is the face of your business, and you should be using it to attract, manage and retain customers, you have to look at your site from your prospect or customers perspective. Prospects and customers find your site through Search Engines, Directories, Sites and Blogs, Content Sites, Reviews and Recommendations, Social Media, Location Based Services, and Group Deals. Easy right? Just put your site out there and they will find it…(insert Field of Dreams quote here). Um, not so right. You must have a strategy to make sure you get your site in front of your prospects, and your customers. Why? Because that is how your prospects and current companies now buy your products or services. They search for you (Search Engine Marketing, Directories, Search Engine Optimization), they learn more about you (review sites, content sites), they check your reputation (Reviews and Recommendations), they ask their friends (Social Media Marketing) and they check for deals (group coupons). All of these aspects of internet marketing come into play when people are looking for you. You must have a strategy to drive people to your site, with all of the aspects of how people find you included, to do the most important thing…convert them to customers.
So, take a week, and work backwards. Customer, website, looking for goods and services. You got a new customer from your website. How did you convert them from the website to a customer???? VERY IMPORTANT!!! Converting the web hits and leads into customers is your biggest job! Nobody sells your business better than you. That is the key. Next, how did they get to your website? That is my biggest job. You know they are out there searching. How will you attract them? You can buy web presence (SEM), you can build web presence (SEO/Social Media), but in the end, either way or both (both is best), you must convert customers. While deciding, don’t forget that most these prospects are using mobile devices for finding you (for another time).
This is a lot to consider. Meanwhile, you still have to run your business. Attract, manage, maintain customers. Have a strategy, or find a company to help. Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Social Media Marketing (Facebook, Twitter), whatever you think, get an expert to help, and increase your business. That is why you have a website.
So, now that you know…call us, and let us help you manage your customers and your content. Beltrame Leffler Brand Communication will be happy to spend some time talking through what you want your website to do for you.
