Is Your Website a Marketing Machine or a Marketing Brochure?

One of the biggest changes in the past five years has been the shift from websites being virtual brochures to being much, much more. In the early days of the internet, say 5 to 10 years ago, a company’s website was typically a place to list information and show some attractive images. Today, smart companies have completely integrated their sites with their broader sales and marketing initiatives. Here are some ways that you can ensure that your site is a fully-functioning marketing machine rather than a static brochure:

• Update the site regularly with current news, blog posts, press mentions and promotions. Your site should seem current, not something that was put together years ago but not touched since.
• Integrate your site with your offline marketing campaigns. Are you attending a conference or trade show in the near future? Do you have print mailings or TV advertising campaigns? Each marketing channel should reference a dedicated landing page on your site. That way, interested prospects can visit your site and immediately find more information related to their areas of interest. Plus, you can include offers and forms tocollect their contact information.
• Make your site interactive to collect leads. Only a small percentage of your prospects are going to proactively pick up the phone and give you a call. For the rest of them, give them opportunities to engage with you in a less direct way. Create a variety of offers with varying levels of interaction such as: Sign up for our newsletter, Download our whitepaper, or Sign up for a free consultation. Create a form to collect contact information for each offer so that you can follow up with qualified prospects later.
• Nurture your prospects and retain your customers. The internet is an excellent tool for easily following up with prospects and recurring customers. Send periodic emails with tips or new information to your leads. Create a quarterly newsletter for your former customers. In short, keep your company top of mind so that when a lead is ready to buy, they think of you first.

Transforming your site into a marketing machine may seem daunting. However, many companies find online marketing has become their most cost-effective marketing initiative. If you have questions about how to update your site, call us at 617-965-2681 x225 or sign up for our Free Website Consultation