Why do you hate your website? Why website marketing matters!

Why do you hate your website? Why Website Marketing Matters

Why do you hate your website? What has it done to you?

You leave it all alone, never updating it, never checking it, just leaving in website land toiling for you 24x7x365. It gives every customer that stops by all that it can, and you never even bother to check in.

Your customers know this. They look at your website. The visit it for information, your phone number, your address, a map to your location. They like your website, it helps them do things they need to do.

And yet you keep ignoring your website, why?

Website marketing matters. And keeping up your website with new content, fresh information and data is all any of your customers want.

Is it time consuming? Yes. Is it ever done? No. It is on-going in a bit of an annoying sort of way. Is my website perfect? Big NOPE! Will yours be? Nope.

What I love is when people put so much time energy and focus on the design and leave about 1 page of actual information. I have copied several clients sites that are 10 and 20 pages big, but when I copy all of the content over, I end up with a 2 page word document, with the same lines of fluff on each page.

“Welcome to company X, we provide the best in class of X, generic description, generic description.”

So what’s a website owner to do?

Step#1: Hire a writer.

I know it’s hard to write and the first thing every client talks about is not having enough time to write the site. So I ask you this. Do you want new customers? Do you have time to eat a sandwich at your desk? If so then you can hire a writer and they can write the site for you. Cost estimate: from $200 to $800 depending on the size of the site and the resources you bring to the table.

Hot Tip: Not sure where to find a good writer one? Go to any local networking group (search meetup.com, if you are in Texas go to yourlocalcity.com, your local chamber or bni.com), take some cards and ask! You might get a client out of it and you will find someone that knows of at least one writer in the area. People always forget the instant power of just asking around at a networking group.

Hot Tip: Keep your writing costs down by pulling books, reports, sales presentations, so much data that your writer will be able to do it all with out doing any research.

Hot Tip: Interview people talking and record them. Don’t you hate it when you are talking to a co-worker or the founder of a company and they explain stuff in a way that just makes everything your company does sound amazing! Or they tell a story about a client that had a major change in their life because of your product or service and it just makes you smile. Get them on the phone! That is right. Go to freeconferencecall.com. Set up an account and call that co-worker, interview them, ask questions, ask for stories from the field, and RECORD the call (for FREE). Give that audio file to your writer and watch the amazing copy come flying in!

Step # 2: Google Analytics.

Sign up for it. (it’s Free) Why? Because if you sign up and connect your website to Google analytics (your webmaster will have to help you with this) you will begin to see how many people actually come to your site. And from there, you will begin to see that even though that site has been around forever, and you have not done a thing to it (except put the info on your biz card) people are going to it.

Hot Tip: Another great way to prove the point that people are going to your site that will convince the data driven boss or partner in your office (Mr. “No one looks at it so why should I spend money on it” John) is to put up a crazy picture on the home page – or an offer for a free car if someone calls in. The calls will come so fast, you will have to give away 100’s of matchbox cars (it is a car). Giving Mr. John the direct data and feedback (and bill for the matchbox cars) that proves the simple point that your website matters.

Step # 3: Make the Mind shift Change

Long gone are the days of fussing over a brochure for weeks, sending it to the printer and it becoming obsolete in a week. Remember the days of the boxes of marketing material just piled in the break room? All wasted after a show or marketing campaign. Your website has replaced all that time, energy and paper and yet it get’s half of the attention and love your sales presentations get. Begin to make the transition from a “static” site to one that can change, ebb and flow with your company as it moves and grows.

Hot Tip: Stop the Madness for Perfection. You website will never be perfect, and that is okay. It is way more important to have the information people need and want than to have it perfect. A word miss spelled is not ideal, but should not stop you from just updating things and letting it go. You would be surprised how many excellent spellers there are out there that will gladly tell you about your spelling mistakes (and once again proving they are reading your site – which is way more important!)

Step # 4: Updated that Content with your Content ManagementSystem (CMS)

If  your site design is already done, all you need is better content. A small firm or individual can easily do this for you. Better still is if your site has a content management system attached, so you can update it yourself. If you don’t have a content management system attached it might be time to do a “proper” update. Make sure your new site has WordPress, a free content management system that is easy for end users to update. If your current site has a system, use what you got and just update!

Hot Tip: Most website “designers” are designers. They are like interior decorators; they like to design a beautiful room not “build and maintain it”. This is often why your original website designer bails on you or is very difficult to get a hold of for the small updating tasks. Expect to have to find someone else to help you maintain your site after the “designer” is done.

Hot Tip: Ask your writer. I have found some writers will gladly help update your site. They usually don’t do graphic work, but that should be okay. Also look for “content managers” they love updating content on sites and will usually be happy to work with small companies that just want some light updating help. Cost estimate for this: $200 – $500 a month or quarter.

The thing to remember is this. In today’s world of texting, IM’ing, Facebook, LinkeIn and Twitter; you can’t keep treating your company website as a red headed step child. Love it, feed it, and give it just a little TLC and you will reap the rewards, I promise.