DIGITAL MARKETING 101:

Transcription

1 DIGITAL MARKETING 101: BETTER WEBSITE, BETTER MARKETING

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3. The Foundation of a Successful Website 4. 5 More Features of a Successful Website 5. What Search Engine Optimization Is (And What it Isn t) 7. Elements of an Effective Call to Action 9. About Us

3 THE FOUNDATION OF A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE PAGE 3

4 5 MORE FEATURES OF A SUCCESSFUL WEBSITE 1 Device-Friendly Your website needs to adapt to the device it is being viewed on, including smartphones and tablets. Also, a sites functionality (shopping cart, quote engine, etc.) should adapt across multiple devices. If your site isn t mobilefriendly visitors will have a hard time navigating and leave. Losing functionality equates to losing sales. 2Flexibility to Expand I m working with an insurance agent who paid good money to a web development firm that didn t understand his business needs. Now, he is stuck going to the web developer every time he needs to make text changes to any page on his website. Plus, if he wants to add a new page it s going to cost him several hundred dollars.there are too many website platforms available that allow you to add pages, change text, blog, upload videos, and create landing pages to stay locked into a site controlled by a design firm that doesn t understand your business. 3 Eye-Catching Visuals Do visitors see attention-grabbing pictures or big blocks of text? Pictures of people, shorter blocks of narrative, bulleted lists, and other tactics to reduce text overload will keep people focused on your page. Once the narrative gets too longwinded, readers will be overwhelmed and bounce. Remember, readers scan and scroll. They don t read every word. 4Easy to Share The impact of creating marketing content (case studies, blog posts, etc.) is hampered if people can t share it through multiple outlets, including social media. Share tools allow you to post links on numerous sites that serve as distribution channels to get people to your website. Plus, over time you ll be able to generate additional followers, connections, and the like who may become your next customers. 5Analytics Tracking your website visitors is actually a lot of fun. It s rewarding to see a traffic spike after your latest blog post, or learning if people come to your site through a search engine or social media website. The best part is that Google Analytics offers all the website reporting you will need for free. These five website features will help you build a website that meets your business needs today as well as in the future. PAGE 4

5 WHAT SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION IS (AND WHAT IT ISN T) Here is the truth: SEO is important, but it is not a marketing strategy. You simply can t rely on SEO for your go-to marketing strategy, so stop worrying about first page results. After all, Google owns the search algorithm and won t reveal it. They give hints, but nothing that you can count on since they change the search method times each year. Currently, Germany is pressuring Google to release its formula. Google isn t budging. If Google won t reveal their algorithm to the 4th largest GDP in the world then the telemarketers can t figure it out either. The fact is, if you build your website for search engine optimization you will never get the long-term results you desire. However, if you build your website for your customers you will meet their needs and rank higher in the search engines. Notice I said you would have a higher rank, not get on the first page of Google. This is why we build websites for people more importantly for your customers and prospects rather than search engines. There are many ways that search engines reward websites that are built for people. Here are a few examples: Responsive Design Customers easily access your website across all devices. Google indexes your web pages quicker and you rank better. Customer Focused Providing information that your visitors want keeps them on your site longer which both you and Google count as a win. Besides, if you Google ranks you number one what would your customers and prospects find on your website: an outdated website with old information or a modern look and feel with news that keeps customers returning to your site? Fix the website before you worry about SEO. Industry Relevant Customers search for specific industry terms also known as keywords. You need to know what they are and incorporate them into the content you have on your site. Here is a free keyword tool to find out what people are searching for in your industry. PAGE 5

6 But what about all the technical SEO stuff? Yes, page titles, headers, meta descriptions, and the like are very important. However, sites built on a WordPress theme offer plugins like Yoast that simplify SEO. That s one reason we re big advocates of WordPress. Moving your site to a WordPress theme can alleviate the expense and burden of optimizing your website. As you create new web pages the plugin takes care of the technical stuff. Due to the many scammers selling pricey monthly subscriptions that are supposed to get you on the first page of Google, I like to say (jokingly) that SEO really stands for SnakE Oil. The reality is that having a search engine optimization plan is valuable, but it should be part of an overall marketing plan that encompasses more than trying to figure out what Google is thinking. PAGE 6

7 5 ELEMENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE CALL-TO-ACTION In order to create marketing that generates strong response rates you must have an effective call-to-action (CTA). Sales flyers, promotions, website pages, even customer events all need to include these 5 elements so that prospects will take the desired action to learn more, download content, or buy now. 1 Make it Simple If you want a website visitor to go to a certain page or download content than the corresponding link and button need to standout. Even worse, many sites offer too many buttons or links that aren t differentiated enough from standard text and users aren t compelled to take action. Also, if you want visitors to buy from your website don t require login info, promo codes, security questions, and preferences up front. Allow users the ability to purchase your product submitting as little information as possible. Then use a separate CTA to have them set up their login profile and preferences. I recently purchased a Starbucks gift card online and the process was very simple. Rather than setting up an account I chose the option to purchase immediately without jumping through hoops. 2Offer and Benefits This is an old direct response TV tactic. We ve all heard the infomercial announcer say, Call now to receive the brightest, fastest, biggest, shiniest, widget ever that will simplify your entire life! Incorporating the offer and benefits into your CTA will increase your response rates. What is the product or service that you re offering to your audience? Be sure to restate the offer clearly after you ve asked them to click, download, or call. What are the benefits of your product or service? Again, by including the product benefits in the CTA you will reinforce the value proposition to prospects. PAGE 7

8 3Time-Sensitive Nothing will make your audience evaluate your offer like putting a closing date on it. Recently, a marketing services company ed me a special discount for a new certification program they re rolling out. I was mildly interested until I read that the 20% discount ended Friday at 5pm. All of a sudden I had a decision to make. If I wanted this certification I needed to act fast. By including an expiration date on the offer 30 day free trial, sign up before the end of the conference- you can generate immediate action and avoid the long, drawn out, think it over time-wasters. 4 Be Specific This may seem obvious, but I am constantly amazed at how many companies are too vague with their CTAs. I still get direct mail solicitations from companies that want me to contact them. However, the company neglects to include their phone number or website address clearly in the body of the text or using a call out box. Instead, I have to search around their letterhead to find their URL or figure out which office location I am supposed to call. If you want people to respond to your offer make sure your audience knows how to take action. Be specific as to: Phone number they re to call. Web address they need to visit. Links and buttons for them to click. Online or paper forms they should complete. Prospects will not take the time to try and figure out what you want. 5 What s Next? Offering your prospect a short summary of what will happen once they click, call, or take the desired action decreases the level of skepticism that exists with many first-time buyers. Telling them exactly what will happen next you ll talk to a service advisor who can answer any questions, you ll have instant access to a whitepaper, you ll receive a call within 24 hours- takes the guesswork out of the process and your prospect s comfort level will increase significantly. By using these 5 techniques you ll see your conversion rates increase dramatically. Rather than vague requests, prospects will know exactly what you re offering, how it will benefit them, and what action to take next. PAGE 8

9 ABOUT US Guerra Strategy helps you sell more through marketing consulting, sales training, and website development. We focus on the success factors that are critical to unlocking business growth. To sign up for our monthly Sales and Marketing Update visit: /newsletter-signup Visit GuerraStrategy.com to learn more about our website development services, BETTER WEBSITE, BETTER MARKETING PAGE 9