Beyond Brochureware

Though brochureware sites of yesteryear are sometimes used as stepping-stones to a robust interactive website, they are rarely the main goal for a business these days. Why build a static site when you can serve a greater purpose, AND when customers expect so much more.

Consumer Expectations

With over 50% of Americans equipped with smartphones, and internet access prevalent beyond that, people today want everything to be instant. Today’s consumers expect…

• Instant Access
• Immediate Answers
• Interaction Abound

…or they will go elsewhere.

Putting your site to work

A website can help you meet consumer expectations, AND be an integral part of your business. Careful thought is required when designing your site so that you can include the “Call to Action” (CTA) that will help you reach your goals.

What your website can do for you...

Generate Leads: By adding online forms to capture data, you can generate leads and nurture a prospect until they become customers. See Sherma’s Blog “Does your website generate leads?” to learn more…

Increase Sales: Make your site part of your sales team by showcasing your products or services. Then go one step further and allow people to get a quote or purchase online, thus providing instant gratification, and adding to your bottom line.

Educate Customers: Become a trusted resource in your industry by providing information such as white papers, blogs, press releases and/or downloadable materials. Then watch as people visit your site on a regular basis and become loyal customers.

Provide Service: Add content to your site to lessen the load for your customer service team. For instance, by creating an interactive FAQ section on the site, you can build content AND create a list of Frequently Asked Questions that will be useful to others.

Create a Community: By adding interactive devices such as social media, you can create a community that can spread the word to others about your organization. After all, word-of-mouth is always the best advertising.

Keep in Touch: Connecting your website with your email marketing program will allow you to communicate with certain segments of your customer base in a myriad of ways, thus nurturing your relationship and providing more sales opportunities.

Thinking of building, or revamping your website?

If you company is new to the WWW and needs a site built from scratch OR if your site is old and in need of an update, here are some key points to think about before you begin…

• Who is my audience?
• What are my goals?
• What actions do I want people to take once they’re on my site?
• If I were the customer, what would I want to find on this site?

Then talk to professionals and get their recommendations on creating a custom site that meets your goals. Full service marketing firms like IdeaBank can provide a well-rounded marketing program that ties your site into your other marketing plans and can help you with SEO/SEM, or Adwords campaigns to boot.