A common problem we see within companies in relation to the usage of their website, is not knowing. Not knowing how to maximize their online exposure, not knowing how to target a web audience, etc. Many companies, only after launching their website, think of new and exciting ways to reach their audience and use their website as a great marketing tool.
We're going to give you some insight as to a couple features your company website should offer, in which both you and your customers can benefit from!
Newsletter/Email Signup
Giving your customers and potential customers a way to signup and receive updates is great for everyone. It allows a customer to stay in touch with what you offer, and allows you to build up a database of people that you can send out email blasts to with new marketing material, promotions, etc.
'Quick' Contact Forms
Don't make people sit and fill out 5 page long forms to try and receive leads and information from them. There is nothing wrong with having a detailed contact form, but it's also a good idea to have a quick and straight to the point contact form (see the top right of this page). This allows you to grab people before they think twice, and makes it easy for the customer to get a hold of you with no hassles.
News & Events
Despite what you think, people want to learn more about your company then what services you offer. Giving them the ability to check out an upcoming events calendar and/or seeing your company in the news and whats going on internally can make people feel extra secure and confident in their decision to go with you. This also gives you the ability to reach potential customers through different channels that you might not of before, such as Event Signups, News Commenting, and News/Events Sharing on Social Media Platforms.
Social Media Outlets
So many people are so used to social media websites, they don't want to leave and go anywhere else. Don't overlook the fact that Facebook has 750,000,000 ACTIVE users and Twitter 100,000,000. Your company should be on Facebook and Twitter, among others, and if someone is on your website, they should be very easily able to get to your social media profiles. You can/should even take it to the next level and let them like/follow you directly from your website! (See Using Facebook's 500 Million Users To Your Advantage)
Photogenic Portfolio
Whether it means showcasing your top plates if you are a restaurant, your latest builds if you are a home-builder, or the wildest styles if you're a hairdresser, you want to give people as many visuals as possible. In today's lazy society, people don't want to read, they want to skim and look at pictures. If you don't have pictures that allow people to interact with your work from the convenience of their home, you could lose them, and lose them FAST. Make sure you not only offer a very visually appealing work showcase, but that you are updating it with new content constantly!
Your website can be nothing more than a glorified business card and a place to find your contact information, or it can be a successful marketing tool for you to gain an audience and capture leads 24/7 - 365. It's up to you to decide how involved you want to get and be with your new website. A website with the features listed above should have someone dedicated to keeping it fresh and making sure people who are interacting with you, are getting interacted with. (See Maintenance: Servicing Your Website Every 3,000 Visitors)
Basch Solutions, LLC – a Rochester Website Design and Website Development company, has been building content management systems for their clients in almost every industry since 1999. Have a look at their portfolio to see some of the many success stories they boast @ www.baschsolutions.com/
