Most businesses should have three objectives online: to have a presence in the 21st century medium, to stand out from the competition, and to capture leads.
You need 4 elements or components to accomplish your goals:
The Website
Your home or landing page will generally be the initial point of contact. It needs to answer the questions “What do you do?” and “Why should I trust you?” By talking about the reader NOT about you and your business.
Consumers will make a split-second decision on whether they’ll stay to learn more or go to a competitor. Don’t lose them at the start.
An ABOUT US page builds the trust factor. Explain exactly what your company does. Remember, your visitor wants to know:
Who you are, why you do what you do, and what makes you special.
Finally, a CONTACT US page to clearly explain how to reach you. Make sure it includes all methods:
-
- address,
- phone number,
- email address, and
- a Google Map with directions to your store or office.
These three pages create a basic online presence, but not much more. Now, to set your business apart from everyone else, you need to create a company blog.
The Blog
A Blog is just a continually updated news or content section of a website.
So why is a blog important?
- For one, it shows that you know what you’re talking about. It helps you identify yourself as an expert and your business as unique.
- Secondly, a blog is constantly updated. It gives people a reason to come back to your site. The more contact you have with your consumers, the more likely they are to buy from you.
- Also, consumers have become savvier and will search out information. They want more than a simple explanation of what your product does. They want to know how to use your product, examples of interesting things people are doing wqith your products, and how you can make their life easier (remember WIIFM).
Email List and Newsletter
You need a service provider for effective email marketing. I use Aweber obviously (look to your right for a trial offer). Getting visitors and customers to sign up for your email list means you no longer have to wait for them to come to you, you can go to them. You can offer specials and keep them up to date on new products.
This is where you start to see the payoffs!
Your Social Media Accounts
Your blog is part of your social media profile and should be the central hub. The hub directs people to your social media profiles to build a connection. And all your social media accounts link back to your blog. Every time you post to the blog you’ll tell everyone via your SM accounts.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi there Lee!
Just stopping by to say fantastic info in your article. You are so right on your e-mail list especially.
I actually found your blog through Dave Whittle’s blog and I am glad I did.
Really good content here and I will be sure to bookmark it.
I hope you have a great day and take care
Dev
Thanks for the kind comment. As I copywriter I tend to focus on, well, writing. I see you’ve got a lot of muti-media in your blog – I’ve taken some notes for future posts! Take Care–Lee