There are two parts to any successful online campaigns – the website and online marketing. Often we see small businesses complete their website and stop there as if the job is done. It isn’t. In fact, it’s only the beginning.
Having a good website does not only mean having a website that looks “good”. Yes, it should be easy to navigate, easy on the eyes, well organized, etc. A good website also offers your customers and your visitors something of value, perhaps something that can make their lives a little easier. (Unfortunately, telling them about your business or talking about your products or services alone does not necessarily constitute “making their life easier”. There needs to be more.) If website traffic or return-customers are important to you, then the value that your website offers will be the reason your customers and visitors will return to it – not because your Web pages look “good”.
Here are some ways you can make your customers’ lives a little easier and some ways you can give them a reason to return to your website:
- If you have a restaurant website, you can put your menu online; it will save people the trouble of searching for a menu and help them find what to order if they don’t have a menu in front of them.
- If you have a fashion website, you can create and maintain a photo gallery; fashion tends to change frequently and so do the products. Your customers who like fashion or like to keep up with the trends in fashion will appreciate being able to see what’s new.
- If you have a website for a service-based business, creating and maintaining a blog can help your customers get to know you, your business, and your services better. This will help them get comfortable with your business and help them make a more informed decision during their purchase.
- If you have a website for a retail business, a Twitter account or e-mail marketing list where you can inform your customers of special deals or events may be helpful and maybe valuable to them. Also, depending on the type of retail business you run, a blog can also help tremendously. (It may be easier to create and manage a blog if you only sell sporting goods like an REI, Paragon Sports, or Sports Authority vs. if you run a store that sells everything like a big box store such as Target or Walmart.) Through your blog, you can help your customers feel more comfortable shopping with you and give them ideas of how to use some of the products you offer (and it also gives them reasons to buy your products!)
Value can mean something different for each business’s client-base. As long as you deliver something of value to your target market and customer-base, you’ll give them a reason to return to your website and over time, it will help develop a relationship.
As for the online marketing-side. If you’re a brick and mortar business with a physical presence, you don’t want to forget the offline (non-Internet) marketing that is currently working for you. Your website is not a switch and it doesn’t mean that you should give up offline marketing right away. Start adding your website address to your stationary, your ads, your promotional materials, your company voice-mail box, etc. Offline marketing is important because you want to reach out to your existing customers and existing target market first. From there, you can slowly work to extend your reach to newer customers and newer markets.
For online marketing, there are many options to help your website. There is no specific combination that is perfect for everyone; you will just need to test and evaluate to see which works best for your business. Some of the online methods you can look into and try are:
- SEO – Search engine optimization (“organic”, “natural results”, or “unpaid SEO”)
- Pay-per-click advertising (the “inorganic”, sponsored or paid-side of SEO; also known as “paid listings” or “paid ads”)
- Social media marketing
- Paid advertisements on websites
- Forum discussions
- Blog discussions
- Video Marketing
(Many of the items mentioned above are covered as a part of custom packages of our SEO – Search Engine Optimization, Online Reputation Management, or Social Media Marketing.)
In summary, if you plan to have a successful website or online campaign, remember, there are two parts you’ll need to cover:
- Having a good website, and
- Having a good online marketing plan and executing it
Don’t stop half-way!
