The idea that every brand should have a website is clearly accepted wisdom now, but many brand owners are still unsure exactly what they should be doing with their website. They appreciate the value of having an online store front, but they have not yet managed to turn their own website into the kind of marketing powerhouse that it could be.
If you feel like your website isn’t working to its full potential, then maybe it’s time for you to re-evaluate what you are using your website for and how it is set up. Let’s take a look at some of the most common issues with small business websites, and how you can make sure that your site is an effective part of your marketing strategy.
Have a Clear Vision
One area where a lot of SMEs fall down is in planning their marketing efforts. They know that they need a website, but they don’t know what they want to achieve with it, they have a weak content strategy, and they have unrealistic expectations for what the website could or should achieve.
A well-run and consistently maintained website is a must if you want to get great results. It is important that you sit down with your website designer and marketing team and work out who you want to reach, what they are interested in, and how you will target them. Do you want to sell goods online, provide information, entertain your customers, or all of the above? Are your customers young social media fans, busy executives, or beginners who will appreciate lots of video tutorials within your niche? Learn what they want, then use your website as a delivery vehicle for that content.
Don’t Rely on Passing Visitors
Online marketing is, in a lot of ways, a numbers game – just like online dating. You need to get your message out in front of as many people as possible in order to get the attention that your brand needs. However, a scatterspray approach will alienate a lot of people, so you need to send the messages to the right people, at the right time, and make sure that you don’t end up pushing the same message to people over and over until they get bored.
It makes sense for small business owners to take advantage of local knowledge when designing their website and framing their marketing campaign. Companies such as Kithappens, which specialise in marketing and web design in Milton Keynes, can offer much more targeted marketing advice and designs that fit with local tastes, compared to companies from further afield.
Even if you don’t think of yourself as running an online company, your customers want to be able to engage with you online. Taking the time to invest in effective website design and marketing will help you to attract and retain those customers, expanding your reach far beyond those who just happen to wander into your store.
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