26 Jan Web Content: Online Marketing Solutions to Driving Web Traffic & Leads
WEBSITE: CONTENT IS KING
Content is one of the most important aspects of any website. It is what search engines and people are looking for. It’s what drives visitors to your site and turns prospects into leads.
WEBSITE MESSAGING
There are four basic questions you need to ask yourself regarding the content of your website.
- Will people know what I do within seconds?
- Will they understand what page they’re on and what it’s about?
- Will they know what to do next?
- Why should they buy/subscribe/download from this site instead of from someone else?
Ideally, you want your visitors to know the answers to these questions. It should be readily apparent what your site is about, what they can do there and why they should take action.
On your homepage and most important pages, consider these helpful tips in delivering the right message:
- Create a few headlines and sub-headline ideas for your most important pages. To combat question #4 (why should I buy from you?) use a powerful value proposition and steer clear from generic cliches, gobbledygook terms and corporate speak.
- Make sure to include clear call-to-actions and next steps. Include links in your body copy, next step links at the end of the copy and calls-to-action wherever appropriate. Include a little direction and you’ll be glad you did.
- Test your copy. For the most accurate indication of a winning headline, use A/B testing to determine which variation drives the most conversions.
EDUCATE & OFFER VALUE
Even though the purpose of a corporate website is to provide information about your products and services, not everyone is ready to buy when they first hit your site. Second, remember it’s not all about you. What’s in it for them?
Offer more than just product content. Provide eBooks, whitepapers, videos, and other forms of content. This will nurture prospects through your marketing and sales funnel until they are ready to buy, plus, they will feel as if they are receiving valuable information along the way and not just a sales pitch.- In product-specific content, write as if you are speaking directly to your audience. Use words like “you,” and “we.” Be transparent. Make yourself sound human. Speak their language.
- Write your product content as if you are helping them solve their problems. Avoid “we are the best” speak and instead use “this is how we help you….”
IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY
Everyone knows having a lot of content is a good thing, but in the days where search engines are getting smarter and buyers are becoming more selective, quality content is truly king.
Quality content is a definite must-have for any website. This includes:
- Offer unique content. People love this and so do search engines.
- Write for humans, not search engines. People don’t read like robots.
- Provide value and educational content that helps others.
- Do your research when paying for content that is written by third-party services. Some work well, others do not.
- Keep content fresh. Having news that’s two years old still sitting on your homepage will probably give your visitors a bad feeling.
- Know your audience. Providing content that is specific to your buyers makes it more relevant for them, and in turn, higher quality.
- Include evidence when needed. If stating facts, numbers, awards, testimonials and etc., try to back it up with a source and give credit when credit is due.
- Know your subject well. You probably don’t want an auto mechanic writing about brain surgery. Accurate content equals quality.
AVOID JARGON & CORPORATE SPEAK
A professional image is necessary but you still want to avoid the dreaded corporate gobbledygook.
These are jargon terms and phrases that have been over-used and abused rendering them meaningless (you’ll find them mostly in the high-tech and B2B industry). These words are meant to add more emphasis of a particular subject but instead they make your eyes roll.
Avoid these words on your website and in other materials whenever possible:
- Next Generation
- Flexible
- Robust
- Scalable
- Easy to use
- Cutting edge
- Ground breaking
- Best of breed
- Mission critical
CLARITY TRUMPS CLEVER
As consumers we are tired of advertising trickery, marketing cliques, and surreptitious methods of persuasion. We don’t want to be lied to, gimmicked, or fooled. We just want the truth
Wouldn’t it be easier to get the point in our content instead of trying to persuade others?
If you focus your content on being clear, not clever, you will find that more people will place their trust in you. Use simple words that are easy to understand. Your goal is to be understood. Just be clear with what you want people to do on your site. You will gain more fans and followers in the long-run.
BLOGGING
Blogging is without a doubt one of the most important assets to any inbound marketing strategy and it’s a perfect complement to your website.
Here are some reasons why you really need a blog:
- It creates fresh content and more pages of content, which is great for SEO.
- It helps establish you as an industry authority.
- It helps drive more traffic and leads back to your website.
- It’s a great channel to converse and engage with your audience and customers.
- It’s a great way to get valuable inbound links!
If you still need proof blogging works, there is lots of research on the subject, specifically:
- Companies that blog have 55% more web visitors
- B2C companies that blog generate 88% more leads than those that do not.
MAKE CONTENT SHAREABLE & SOCIAL
Social media websites have become the most popular online marketing solutions. Oftentimes people will “Like” a post, product, or blog entry, causing all of their friends to see what they like and even provide them with a link to find it themselves.
Consider this type of network effect for your own website. Providing people with excellent content that can be shared with their peers will surely increase your flow of traffic.
- Add a sharing widget or plugin to every page on your site. This will enable visitors to share your pages via all the major social networks. Tools like AddThis or ShareThis are easy to install and provide you with analytic tracking as well.
- If you’re on a blogging platform like WordPress, there are plug-ins available that enable people to share your articles plus auto-publish content to your social networks like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
USE MULTIPLE FORMS OF CONTENT
Content is more than just the written word. Media and utilities are excellent forms of content that can turn a text-heavy site into something that pleases the viewing preferences of multiple au
Imagery (including infographics). Content takes place in the form of:
- Video
- Audio
- Online utility tools (e.g. Website Grader)
- Games
Try using many different forms of content. It will help create a content-rich experience.
CUSTOMER PROOF
No matter what you’re selling, potential buyers like to see confirmation that you’ve made other customers happy. Testimonials, customer reviews and case studies are powerful sources of content for moving prospects even closer to the final buying stages.
- Provide authentic customer stories and don’t hide these behind a form!
- Place real, short and powerful testimonials on your site. Tips to maximize testimonials:
- Try to include real names and titles and use pictures of the person along with their testimonial if possible. This adds authenticity. Not including a name makes a testimonial seem phony even if it’s real.
- Instead of randomly placing testimonials on any page, consider placing testimonials on certain topics on the pages relevant to them. For example, if you have a quote about your customer service, place that on a service or support page. If you have one for your convenient return policy, place that somewhere in a shopping cart or pricing page.
- The more proof you have the better. Make it part of your strategy to collect case studies and testimonials when possible.
- Leverage other online sites that provide reviews, such as Yelp (for local businesses), or industry specific directories like Capterra (for software providers).
STAY TUNED FOR PART 4 OF OUR SERIES: “CONVERSION”
