Having a website is a must in the world of business today, with more and more people now researching, deciding and often buying online, which means that for any firm a website really is a vital part of their overall marketing strategy. Although it will vary from industry to industry, if you are missing out on a sizeable percentage of customers because you cannot be found online then you are missing out on sales – something that no business wants to be guilty of.
Just having a website is not really enough, as traffic is vanity but enquiries are gold and of course what any business is looking for, which means that having a website that encourages your potential and current customers to interact with you is of very high importance. In the age of the smart phone and tablet, people no longer need to make a conscious effort to fire up their laptop and find what they need, which makes their browsing now far different than it ever used to be, with users now more likely to be further down the sales path before they even contact you.
So, if you have a website, how can you make sure that you encourage your visitors to make contact, engage or offer you a chance to remarket to them?
Encourage Social Sharing
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube (and probably the many others I have not included on this list) are vital elements of your online marketing campaign, because you are encouraging people to connect to you via one of these platforms. If we are being realistic, people are more likely to like your page than give you their email or contact details, so it is important that you create a good following across these areas because they are just as useful when it comes to getting your messages in front of interested people.
Some large businesses push Facebook over their own website, as most UK Facebook users will check their accounts more many times a day, so it just proves the importance and of course the potential audience that you are missing out on should you not focus some of your efforts on social media, and even if you think it might not be something that you can handle or know how to do, there are lots of local and national social media experts that can help you along the path with this and develop your social media strategy to start winning this type of business.
Add A Newsletter Sign Up
It really still does amaze me how many clients I go and visit for the first time that do not have a newsletter of some sorts to keep their new, current and potential customers updated on their businesses and more importantly, keep their businesses in these people’s thoughts. Interaction often requires communication, which is where having a regular newsletter can massively increase sales, enquiries and interaction from site visitors, because you are reaching out to them, rather than relying on them to reach to you.
No matter whether you are a local driving school or an international property firm, there is no excuses when it comes to a newsletter, because there is simply always something to say, comment on or offer – you just need to get creative in what you do and make sure you have a schedule of content and you get into the habit of sending the newsletter at the same time and day each week or month, so that people, over time, almost come to expect you sending it, which has been proven to increase open rates.
Have A Blog
As most of us know, content is king, long live content and all that, but generally, yes, content is a massive way of getting people to stick on your site and then want to know more. It increases return visitor rates and it increases time on site, because the user is going to be interested in what you have to say and offer, and hopefully, they will interact with you by leaving a comment or a question which you can then try to turn into a sales opportunity. A bit like my newsletter point, there is always something to say, create or comment on, so there is no excuse, and if time is an issue then you can easily employ some top class writers for reasonable rates to do it for you.
A blog is a fantastic way of establishing your business as an authority in your niche, which is as vital for Google as it is for your users to know, because people like to buy from companies that they believe they can trust, which is why if you make sure they know you are good at what you do, you can increase trust rates with your visitors.
Give Something Away
Whether it is the latest iPhone or a 10% off their next order with your business, there is always something to give away in exchange for getting the visitors contact details. Prizes, tickets, free guides, free delivery, discounts and the list goes on, every business will have something that is worth offering in exchange for getting the visitor to fill in a form and provide you with those valuable contact details, so this is something that is really well worth looking into if you need to get more contact and interaction from your website.
Offer The Best Experience You Can
This point should of probably been the first in my top five but I think it is a good way to finish off, mainly because all of the above will lead into this, as unless you try to be the best that you can possibly be within your industry or service area, then your visitors are going to be less inclined to want to engage with you. Your visitors want quality, whether they are coming to you for a product, service, advice or something else, when they land on your site they want to see that you really are the best and that you offer something of quality.
If you offer a high level of quality from your website, then people will keep coming back, because if there were ten possible places to go, yet your place offered lots of information, an excellent user experience and delivered what they wanted, then you are going to get the nod ahead of all others that might only put in half the effort and this clearly comes across. Trying hard, working hard, focusing on your website and making sure it is a priority in your marketing list is crucial, so by doing the best you possibly can will help to make sure that visitors want to choose you and your business.
Business Articles | Business 2 Community
(457)
