the breadcrumb trail & usability
Give your website’s visitors just enough information…set up a trail of breadcrumbs for them to follow - it’s critical not to slam visitors with irrelevant content - people will leave your website if they don’t find or get what they came for within five seconds. Think back to the ‘above the fold‘ principle in journalism…write captivating headers and place the most interesting content at the easiest viewing positions.
This self-guided, user-centered approach is the key to an effective website - and as a result it favors better usability. So how can we ensure that your website visitor is getting what they came for?
- Create unique landing pages and microsites for specific niche markets
- Provide summaries of content and allow the ability to read more detail
- Include a Call-To-Action on each page (i.e. ‘Download White Paper Here,’ ‘Call Us Toll-Free,’ 10% Off now)
- Include visual cues to support text (i.e. guiding arrows, photos, charts)
Building a Community & Establishing Brand Awareness
A good online marketing plan assigns value to every visitor to your website, and just like any other lead in the offline world there are various levels of qualification.
Short Term Results. Visitors that are ready to do business right now are obviously given a very high immediate value - these are visitors that submit their contact information for a consultation or request additional information - you can also estimate their readiness to purchase by analyzing their browsing patterns.
Long Term Results. Website visitors that frequent specific portions of your web presence like the CEO’s blog or submit messages on the corporate Facebook account may not convert (monetize) immediately…but these people carry a deeper value, a closer and more intimate connection to your brand and its community - there is no reason why each of these brand followers shouldn’t be assigned a monetary value. They ask friends to donate to your foundation, applaud your company’s latest campaigns, and through their own web presences they advertise your organization by subscribing as a ‘Fan’ or ‘Group Member’ on your Facebook account.
yes, it’s time to get a website
We are well past the days when simply having a web presence was enough to have a foot up on the competition - your website must align with your offline traditional marketing efforts. With about 223 million internet users in the US (73% of entire population) an effective online presence is just as important as other offline advertising/marketing media.
online and offline efforts must connect
Online advertising, social media, e-commerce, and blogs should be an extension of your company’s overall communications strategy; this means that…
- The CEO’s Blog is promoted in your monthly newsletter
- Customers are given an incentive to purchase products online (i.e. free shipping)
- Whitepapers can be downloaded after entering some information (i.e. Name, Phone Number, Comments)
- Your collateral offers prospects to “find out more online”
And most importantly…you Join the Conversation & Develop Mutually Beneficial Relationships. This means that you reply to your client/fan questions and comments…even if they’re unrelated to your business. Think grass roots, think long term…you must give in order to receive.
