Websites, white papers and blogs – there are plenty of sources out there for improving your online marketing strategy. They range from simple (set up a website) to complex (put together a fully integrated social media marketing program that uses Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Foursquare to promote your business).
Let’s keep it basic, though, and focus on 6 things you can do to improve your website:
1. Create clear and concise website content.
This is something I write about a lot. Be clear about the value you offer customers with straightforward, clean Web copy that focuses on benefits, not features, and avoids fluffy descriptions. Simply list what you do and how you successfully solve your customers’ problems.
To ensure it really is clear, ask friends and family who are not in your industry to read it. If everyone quickly grasps what your company does, great job! If not, try again or ask them for suggestions on improving the copy.
2. Add video.
One of the best ways to engage your prospective customers is by including a video that introduces your product or service in a quick and easy-to-understand format. You can make one yourself (just do a quick search for Web video templates) or outsource it to a graphic designer. Just make sure your video does not auto-play when a visitor first lands on your website.
3. Stay focused.
Keep your website content tightly focused on the benefits of your products or services. Do not expound at length on your background or why you started your company, or continually repeat yourself, a common mistake. Save all thought leadership for your blog, social media sites or your website’s resource center.
4. Go mobile.
If you have an app that can be used on mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets, let customers know on your home page – and link to the app on the App Store, Android Marketplace, Blackberry App World or the Windows Marketplace to make it easy for them to find and download it. Mobility is a major selling point for everyone who is busy, so this is a great way to grab their attention.
5. Tout free trials or demos.
If you offer free trials or demos of your product or service, don’t bury it in your website. Make that a visible, primary call to action on your home and contact us pages. I love it when companies turn those calls to action into big buttons so you can’t miss them.
6. Make signing up easy.
Help your buyers get started with your products or services right away by allowing them to sign up easily on your “home” and “contact us” pages, or by walking them through the steps they need to take to get going.
Do some – or all – of these things, and more of your website visitors will call or email you – and turn into potential customers.
Image courtesy of creative design agency Arrae
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