If you have a business, you likely have a website. (If not, now is the time to remedy that.) Your website is your brand’s online hub. It’s one place you have full control, unlike social media platforms or other sites that are subject to the owner’s changes.
How are you making best use of that website hub? Are you getting sales leads? Maybe more importantly, are you able to track those leads?
Two Types of Websites
There are two design philosophies for a website. The first is what we call a “brochure” website. This is little more than a digital version of a print brochure you might hand out. All the basic information is there, maybe some images. While this is a starting point, to validate you exist as a brand, it’s not enough for a marketing strategy. There’s no compelling reason for a reader to reach out to you.
The second type of website is acts more like a vehicle for your entire marketing strategy. With this design, we build off-ramps, of sorts, for readers at different levels of interest to buy into what you’re selling. We do this at various point and in various ways to grab warm, interested and ready to buy leads. Here’s what that looks like:
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Ready to Buy
These are leads that come to your website and are all in. They are ready to make a decision about what you are selling. We can loop them in through a contact page, that includes drop down options or form questions that will get their information to the right sales person. You can also build e-commerce functionality to let people purchase directly on the website.
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Really Interested
These are people that come to your website, like what you’re selling, but want to learn more. This is the equivalent of someone browsing your store, picking things up, looking at tags. For them, you can build a chat box on the side or a separate FAQ page. You can also build a very simple contact form, that assures them you can answer their questions.
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Warm
These are your window shoppers. They may not even stop into the store, but you want to hook them before the walk on. Content is key here. White papers and case studies can draw them in. You might also consider webinars or e-newsletter subscriptions. Get creative with you content, but keep it relevant to what your buyers want to know about.
Time to Transform
Through strategic, engaging facets of your website, you can not only build sales leads from those who visit your site, but also track them so you know what’s working and what you need to do more of. Make this year the year you make your website work for you.
If you have any questions about how to turn a brochure website into a marketing engine, drop us a line. We love to help clients get creative and build sites that work hard!