Using Your Website To Market Your Business
Is your website a part of your marketing plan
? I am frequently asked how to make a website 'sell'. There is a general impression in the online world that if your have a website and it is live you will attract business left and right. If only that were true! What can you do to make sure you are attracting business via your website?1. This is number one for a reason! You MUST ensure your website speaks to your Ideal Client. This doesn't mean you list all of the things you do for your Ideal Client. It means you speak to them in their language. Tell them what their problem is, and then tell them how you can help them. Be sure your Ideal Client can identify themselves in your text. You can tell stories about how you've helped your Ideal Client, or you can weave testimonials into your text. Testimonials are important, as no-one likes to be the first client! Your clients want to know you've done X, Y, and Z, or worked with someone like them previously.
2. Make sure you have a picture of yourself somewhere on the site. The most logical place is either the About You page or your landing page. Your clients want to see your smilin' face. Really. It helps to make a connection between you and them. Don't have a picture of you at a party unless you plan parties for a living. Your picture should reflect what you want to put out about you and your business. Please don't put up pictures of your family and/or your animals unless it is central to the business you are in.
3. Have a way to capture names so you can keep in touch with your clients. An ezine is one such vehicle. The trick here is to be consistent in when you send out your ezine. If you can only commit to once a month, then commit to once a month! Don't have a "publish whenever" system. Your clients will not stick around. They are looking for consistency from you. Remember, your clients need to know-like-and trust you. Consistency is one step in this direction.
4. Pictures. You need pictures on your website. Pictures not only break up the text, but help to convey the message you are putting out. This is not to say you need 3-4 pictures per page. One, maybe two, is just fine. The object is not to overwhelm, but to enhance or compliment the text.
5. Be yourself! When putting your website together (visual and text) make sure the website has your voice. The last thing you want to do is have a potential client read your website, get excited about working with you only to find out through a phone conversation that you sound nothing like your website. The potential client is then left wondering who the 'real' you really is. It's fine to view other websites for ideas, but those ideas need to be in your voice. I recommend you view other sites for ideas and to get a feel for what others are doing. Just don't sell yourself short in the process by trying to become someone you are not.
If I had to sum up this whole process, I would say to you....be true to yourself and your Ideal Client. Don't try to be, or do, what everyone else is doing. You have your own unique strengths, show them to the world!
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