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The Internet has truly
revolutionized the way businesses market today. In less than a dozen years the
Internet has grown from a handful of websites with thousands of users to
millions of websites with millions of users.
A website can not only help you brand your business but can also be a
content-rich information portal, providing interactive media, dynamic content,
streaming audio and video, news, information and entertainment to visitors
worldwide. It can also provide a sense of “community” by offering support and
interactive features for current customers.
How are websites beneficial to businesses?
Today, businesses are taking advantage of the powerful information distribution
and interactive capabilities of the Internet. Increasingly, businesses are using
websites as a primary marketing medium. For example, businesses are now using
streaming audio and video to broadcast “webinars” or website seminars,
conferences and special events 24-hours a day. Podcasts have also become another
way for businesses to distribute marketing messages and useful information in
both business to business and business to consumer markets. Blogs which invite
readers to comment have become very popular and can be effective interactive
tools.
Websites are cost-effective. Documents that were once printed and mailed can be
posted to the website for visitors to download, thereby avoiding the expense of
commercial printing and postage. Because the Internet is virtual, updating
documents and information takes a minimal effort and cost. Also, the added
convenience of archiving past issues of support articles, newsletters and
product information can serve as a tremendous resource for future needs of your
customers.
E-commerce capabilities allow websites to also serve as a virtual store front to
sell products and services. When you factor in the savings in labor hours and
overhead costs needed to operate a 24-hour brick and mortar store, e-commerce
websites are very cost-effective and are available at your customers'
convenience.
Moreover, the ability of companies to communicate with customers (and potential
customers) is also greatly enhanced by using the Internet. Message boards have
become very popular, and many businesses offer informal customer service areas
to discuss product or service issues and to offer customer support.
Many websites now offer an “online operator” service, allowing website visitors
to “chat” with customer service and sales representatives before purchasing
products and services.
Website Marketing Strategies and Goals
A website marketing plan is a roadmap that tells how you plan to achieve your
marketing goals, based on your marketing strategy. Your website can assist with
achieving many portions of your marketing goals and should be a vital component
in your overall marketing strategy.
For example, one of your marketing goals might be to sponsor a fund raiser for a
local non-profit organization (and getting some exposure through the local paper
or television station). Your website can work together with other media to
provide local publicity for the event. Website visitors can find information,
directions and have the ability to sign up online prior to the event. Your
website can also serve to “archive” the event by providing photographs and
comments from participants.
A marketing strategy for getting younger consumers involved with your product or
service might include having a message board just for teens with topics of
interest suited for them. Message boards and chat rooms are very popular and
provide high levels of interaction between participants.
Form follows function
Before designing your website there are several important factors to consider.
First, you must have a clear sense of your businesses' product or service
offering, target audience and your marketing goals. Think beyond a general
marketing goal such as “increasing sales,” and consider more specific goals. By
clearly defining your goals and objectives before creating a website or
expanding an existing website, you can design specific features that would take
the guess-work out of marketing and better meet the needs of the people you wish
to reach and turn into loyal customers.
Who is your target market? While it’s easy to say that everyone is your target
market, you need to be more specific. Because people have different needs, are
different ages, live in different states, have different educational cultural
backgrounds and have different life experiences, designing your website to
appeal to your target audience takes some careful analysis. By listing your
business strengths, who currently buys from you (and why), what age groups are
your customers and who you are currently serving, you can create a profile of
your target market.
Once you have defined your target audience, it will be easy to identify what
needs to be emphasized within your website and how to best approach those who
stand to gain the most from your product or service offering. For example, if
your target market is primarily single moms, your website should have
photographs of other single moms at events, picking their children up from
daycare or school and have information and resources which are important for
their lives—things this group can relate to or have in common.
Websites can become disorganized and overwhelming without a clear message and
good organization. To create a clear marketing message, start by making a list
of what you would like your website to communicate and to what audience.
Next, prioritize your list. If you have more than ten items listed, see if some
items can be grouped together. Think of your website as an opportunity not only
to tell about your business, but what is it about your business that makes it
different from others and why potential customers should consider you instead of
your competition.
Designing Your Website for Success
A website is not an information dump. Effective websites use creative designs
and common-sense navigation to guide visitors to various pages and make the
online experience enjoyable. For example, your choice of color, typeface, font
size, columns, images, and white space can affect whether your website will be
effective or not. Navigational bars, search mechanisms and the overall usability
of your site may also affect if visitors will return.
While it can be tempting to turn a website “makeover” into a major website
project, it is best to take a “phase” approach. By having written marketing
goals and objectives, you can create a list of website offerings, which support
your business marketing goals.
By identifying one or two primary goals for the near-term, it will make
implementing new website content and features a lot easier. As your website
needs grow, features such as message boards, e-mail list managers, article
management, search capability and streaming video can be added. By grouping the
features you would like to add to your website in order of priority, you will be
able to “phase in” additional features a few at a time.
After you identified one or two major features or capabilities you wish to add
to your website, you will need to discuss your goals and objectives with your
website designer.
Avoid “Do-it-yourself” Website Design
Working with a professional website designer will make it easier to plan your
website and create an effective online presence. A web designer will have
creative, practical ideas and can offer a perspective based on experience. A
seasoned website designer can also assist you with technical and aesthetic
challenges as you move forward, and advise you how best to achieve your website
goals and target audience.
Before hiring someone, be sure to look at samples of a designer’s work and ask
for references. Ask for a formal proposal with either a firm price or an
estimate before you start the project. Also, be sure to find out who will own
all files or applications installed on your website. In the event you part
company with your web designer you do not want to be subjected to any sudden
licensing fees or surcharges. Ideally, you should be able to use all files and
applications for the foreseeable future.
Ten Practical Website Tips
- Appearance – Make sure your website design is fresh and appealing. Your
website is an extension of your business and it is best to create a positive,
friendly atmosphere.
- Arrangement - Everything in your website is considered important; so make sure
the information is organized in columns or group patterns that will allow for
easy reading. Cluttered websites are unappealing.
- Navigation – Make your website is simple to navigate so visitors don’t have to
spend any time figuring out where to go or how to retrieve certain information.
- Be Interactive – Offer an e-mail newsletter that visitors can sign up for.
This is an inexpensive way to communicate, but allow subscribers to “opt-out”
easily and avoid the temptation to overuse e-mail.
- Updating – Be sure to update your website and offer new content so visitors
will keep coming back.
- Website Statistics – If you have access to your website server logs, find out
how your website is being used—what pages are the most popular, where visitors
are coming from and how they are finding out about your website.
- Feedback – Make it easy for visitors to send you feedback about your website.
Visitor and regular users can offer invaluable suggestions for improving your
website.
- Build in Phases – Don’t attempt to take on too large of a website redesign.
While the web designer will do most of the work, you may be responsible for copy
writing, testing and reviewing, which will take time. Dividing the website
redesign into manageable phases can also be cost effective.
- Download Time – Not everyone has a high-speed connection. Make sure your
website design is fast even with a dialup connection. Use thumbnail images where
possible.
- Less is More - Most website visitors will only spend a few seconds to a few
minutes at your site. If you don’t get their attention and communicate your
message right away, visitors will simply click away to another website.
Creating a new website or redesigning an existing website for your business is
an exciting process that is vital to your business plan and overall marketing
goals. Besides making decisions about how the website should look and what
information it should offer, there are technical, labor and budget requirements
to consider. By planning and setting goals based on your target audience and
purpose, you can achieve a professional, effective website which supports your
marketing needs and inspires your website visitors to become loyal customers.
Vann Baker is the president of Design-First
Vann has been designing websites since 1995 and has been helping companies to
create effective marketing materials for over twenty years. For more articles
and information on practical website design and effective website marketing,
visit
http://www.design-first.com
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