There has been a strong push over the last decade for marketing exercises to be conducted through social media channels.
And why not? One in six Australians uses Facebook at least once a month – equating to over 15 million unique visitors to the social media giant every month.
However, while social media may be a very effective tool for this approach, your website is actually the foundation of your online presence altogether – something that's usually left behind by brands.
If you choose to neglect your website or tend to stray away from giving it some TLC, you could be shutting the door to an enormous volume of new customers, clients and sales across the board. And those are some big opportunities you don't want to miss out on.
Why your website is the primary point of all of your marketing
No matter what element of your digital marketing we are talking about, it all comes back to the platform you're driving traffic to. As a crucial doormat for your business, its the pinnacle of all your communications and transactions, if you're doing things the right way.
So, here are some marketing strategies – new and traditional – you should consider adding into your mix on a regular basis.
- Networking: Old fashioned communication, be it at an after-work function or a major industry conference, leveraging in-person contact is critical for expanding your audience and client base.
One thing remains the same from years gone by to today – conversations always end with the exchange of business cards. In today’s world, that's likely now an exchange of a link to your website, which will be quickly looked at by prospective partners, clients or customers. If your site isn't quite up-to-scratch or is lacking appeal, the networking has been in vain.
- Emailing: Still the most fundamental detail on your business card and marketing collateral, these beauties are the generators of your own subscriber network and database. These then act as powerhouses for conversions, garnering critical information and insights along the way.
Adding in automated email services – like those through Mailchimp – can help direct traffic and leads back to your site, closing sales and collecting loyal customers throughout.
- Social media: We mentioned social media at the beginning of this article, as it has positioned itself as the leader of new-wave communications.
However, the key to social media management is quality content that is instantly engaging, appeals to your target audience and shows a clear picture of your brand's personality.
- Blogging: A cornerstone of your marketing is creating a connecting to your clients – both current and potential. The best way to share your branding, messages, personality and services is through regular blogs that position you as thought leaders in your industry.
Tips to make your website work for you
Think of your website as the entrance to your business. In the old days, before the internet, presentation at your brick and mortar premises would be a key consideration (and this could still well be the case).
This is no different when it comes to your digital shopfront. A tired-looking, dated website won't appeal to an audience with an ever-shrinking attention span. Missing links, buttons that don't spark any action and functions that don't even work – all of these instances will quickly turn potential clients away at the very first impression.
Aesthetics are one thing, but your website should also provide end-to-end sales services for visitors as well. Each stage of the buying cycle should tell its own part of the story, compelling visitors to keep clicking through the journey until they end up at the checkout to finalise their carts.
If you've incorporated all of these aspects into your build, your website should also function as your sales representative that never sleeps. No matter the time of day, it's there to help serve your prospects and keep conversions streaming through the doors.
What sort of content should my website include?
- A professional and accessible URL: Try and think ultra-simple here, so people can readily remember your business and site name off the top of their head. A home-made website with the extension of the platform used to build it looks every bit as amateur as it sounds.
- Keywords: Forming part of search engine optimisation (SEO), keywords should be relevant to what you do, your services and your location. Don’t flood your site with these terms, though, as Google can detect this and will send you tumbling down the rankings.
- Calls to action: Make these prominent and plentiful, directing your visitors to go deeper into your site and make desired actions like making a purchase or booking a consultation.
Our site includes bright call to action buttons for users to easily get in touch.
- Secure payment options: The leading reason for cart abandonment on websites is customers not trusting the security of payment.
- Testimonials/feedback: This creates a two-way conversation and makes your digital presence more human.
- Contact information: Absolutely critical, this includes every channel you are present on, and how they can use them to get in touch.
- Blogs: These allow you to have regular communications with your client base and also position you as a thought leader in your industry (with the right content, of course).
- Social media signals: Boost your presence by ensuring clients can easily follow you on every platform you subscribe to and can share your content without any hassle.
- Consider a chatbot: As previously mentioned, your website's doors never close, so it pays to have someone on hand to deliver 24/7 attention to your customers. There are many chatbots on the market these days, all of which can be integrated into your website to make the user experience more personalised and human.
What measures do I need to put in place after my website is built?
Once your brand new site is built with all the features you need to build an audience, client base and sales, that doesn’t mean you can just leave it to its own devices.
The content you regularly upload is vital for your branding, engagement with your audience and ranking in Google search results. Because of this, it's critical to keep fresh words pumping into your site, all the while maintaining quality and relevance within what you're publishing.
Think about your content writing and public relations options moving forward. Employing the services of professionals to generate compelling content often reaps more rewards than out of pocket expenses. Best of all, these experts can weave in your SEO and conversion goals to ensure all words going out to your audience contribute to your marketing objectives.
Things you can use your website for that you never even realised
These days, there is a plethora of tools, plug-ins and services that can be implemented onto your website, powering it up to become more than just a display of your services. Here are some of the most popular options to consider:
- Landing pages: Create pages on your website that only include a direct call to action. This could be an enticing button for people to subscribe to your email newsletter, or for them to download a free whitepaper, in exchange for their details. These pages are also perfect at being combined with social media paid marketing tactics, allowing for an end-to-end conversion process.
An example of Mailchimp’s landing page - simple yet enticing.
Additionally, these landing pages can be made ‘invisible’ to visitors, meaning they won't stumble upon them unless they're directed to them from social media campaigns. This will enable you to monitor exactly how many people are coming through from these channels, and how many are converting once they reach your page.
- Catalogues: In years gone by, physical catalogues were excellent marketing tools. Today, you can have digital versions built into your website that link directly to your e-commerce store. Perfect.
How Havealook can provide all of your website needs
Building the ultimate small business website does not have to be an expensive exercise. Havealook is Australia ’s trusted, affordable web design service and has delivered solutions to over 7000 businesses across the nation.
From responsive website design through to e-commerce platforms, content management systems, SEO, logo designs and InstaBlogs – we have designed our offering to be a revolutionary new way market your brand.
Contact us today on 1300 367 009 to speak to our team about powering up your website.