If you think your brand isn’t getting enough attention, your website might be to blame. Most leads will use social media to learn about your company’s reputation before they ever consider a partnership with you. And, if your website isn’t up to snuff, the more likely they are to move on. You need to make sure that yours 1) tells readers understand exactly what your brand stands for, and 2) identifies you as the right fit for new business. To do that, start by addressing these factors:
Page Speed
When someone clicks on a link to your website or types its URL into a search bar, are they greeted quickly by a landing page, or do they have to wait a few seconds for it to load? Even lags that are nearly imperceptible to your viewers can still be slow enough to negatively affect your search engine ranking. Identify whether yours is helping or hurting you, and how to improve it.
Navigation
Website visitors should be able to find the information they want to learn about your company fairly quickly. Don’t cram your website full of promotional material just for the sake of having it. Instead, pair it down to the most relevant topics and use those to create pathways (a buyer’s journey) to landing pages and content that you want your readers to follow that will educate them and prompt them to buy.
Content
In order to guide your readers, your content needs to be both relevant and relatable.
First, show the value of what you offer instead of talking about it. Millennials represent the majority of B2B buyers, and they’re pretty keen at spotting hokey sales jargon. Demonstrate how your business excels in its own market by sharing stories about its partners, promoting the contributions of its own employees, and highlighting corporate efforts that reinforce the importance of your business model.
Second, don’t worry about being too formal. Draft material that sounds like how you speak, touches on relevant keywords and terms that are appropriate to your audience, and is proofed for typos, grammar, and inaccuracies that might risk making you look unprofessional.
The Funnel
Landing pages and content should be designed so that visitors who complete your buyer’s journey become marketing qualified leads for your normal sales funnel. That transition depends entirely on the call to actions that you use. Should visitors click a link to learn more details about a program with you? Do they sign up to receive periodic news about changes in their market? Do you offer a free trial / demo / sample / discovery call? Basically, make sure there aren’t any dead ends that cause them to lose interest.
Pro tip: Make sure that your sales team understands what material your marketing qualified leads have received so that your reps don’t accidentally waste time by rehashing the same questions or pain points and come across as misinformed.
How do you know which of these need the most attention? Digital analytics are a great place to start, but website audits are even better! Let us know if you’re interested in one, or click the link below to schedule some time for a more in-depth marketing discussion.
