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ABOLISHING BORING WEBSITES ARTICLE 1 ARTICLE 2 ARTICLE 3 ARTICLE 4 |
5 Steps to Creating a Successful Website Campaign So, you're thinking about getting a website for your company. You have been asked by a lot of people if you already have a website and you are tired of telling them, “not yet.” In fact, you are beginning to worry that you seem, “old fashioned,” because you don't have a website. Or maybe you do have a website, but it doesn't seem to fit you nor really inspire anyone to take the desired actions, and it's not attracting the kinds of customers you want. The question that is plaguing you is, “what do I need to do to create a great website that works?” To help you get started with confidence, I have compiled a list of powerful questions. In answering these, you will be well on your way to developing a successful website campaign. These are the questions I ask everyone who calls me looking for help with website development, and I have found their answers to be critical in developing a campaign that truly suits their needs and causes their potential customers to take action. Who are you? The first step to any website campaign is identifying who you are and how you want to present yourself to the world. This is known as “branding." We are familiar with successful branding campaigns such as Kleenex, Band-Aid, the Gap, Xerox, IBM, etc. Each of these brand names conjures up an image of a product, a client base, etc. Having a consistent image has been instrumental in causing the success of these companies. So determining who you are, what you are offering to your customers, and how you want them to see you are important first steps to creating a consistent image. Are you an expert in some area? Do you have a revolutionary new product? Are you New Age, or conservative, or inspiring, or organized, or creative…? What would you want people to say about you were they to introduce you in a crowd of potential clients? Write down the words you would want them to use. The clearer you are about who you are and what unique offering you have for the world, the more powerful the website you create will be for attracting your perfect customers. Who do you want to attract? Each of us has an idea of “that perfect client.” Though we don't necessarily want to narrow our client base to a particular specialty, if we look at our true desire, there is a certain type of client that we wish we had more of. For instance, you may really like working with entrepreneurial clients who are starting up businesses, but you get really jazzed when a well-funded entertainer calls you to request your services on a big project. Or you may decide that you want to focus on clients who are benefiting the world in some way, so you'd like to attract more non-profits. The point here is to imagine your ideal client and write down everything you can think of about what they're like; the size and type of the company, the age/gender/social strata/focus, etc. of the customer base, etc. This will help you to gain a clear sense of who you are attracting with your new website. (You may also want to attend one of our workshops on Marketing Magnetism. Click here for more info... Or you may want to investigate the website for the author of The Strategic Attraction Plan) What do you want to say to them? Now that you have a sense of who you are and who you want to attract, you are ready to decide what you want to say to your website visitors. One good way to start this process is to investigate your competitors' websites and see how they're doing it. Take note of your likes and don't-likes regarding their sites, all the while thinking about what could set you apart from them, what you could offer that they aren't. Another approach is to focus in on the answers to questions one and two and write about yourself and your offerings in a stream-of-consciousness fashion. You can always edit it later, and this kind of open creativity is great for brainstorming. Make a list of the pages you really need on your site (i.e. your company mission, contact information, staff bio's, services offered, etc.) and then a list of the desired pages (monthly newsletter, discussion forum or chat room, e-commerce.) Prioritize these based on the image you want to convey and who you are trying to attract. While you are listing the pages you want, try to imagine what your new website can offer that will save you time and effort in the long run. Perhaps you have some standard questions you always ask potential clients. If you had a questionnaire they could fill out online, that would save you time. Or you may have a product line or portfolio to share. If you had photographs available online, it would save you the trouble of having to set up a special meeting to look at your portfolio. You could have a conversation on the spot with potential customers who can see your work without delay. Write down any ideas you have about this. What action do you want them to take? It's a good idea to develop a clear sense of what you want from your visitors. Do you want them to call you, or fill out a questionnaire, or read some articles, or sign up for your mailing list? Prioritize these actions in order of importance. You may want them to take a variety of actions, but the most important one is to call you. You may want to inform them of your services, but it's most important that they purchase your new product. Having a clear idea of what you want people to do will help you to develop a website that truly serves your needs. What's it going to take to get there? Answering these questions has you well on the path to creating a successful website campaign. Now you need to review your assets. What do you have already and what do you need to start the development process? Do you have a staff member who knows HTML? Do you have a stunning logo and marketing materials that can determine the look and feel of your website? Are you a great writer who knows how to convey a powerful message in very few words? What kind of budget do you have available for this project? Once you determine what you have, you can begin to see what you need. When you have your list of assets and the answers to the questions outlined above, you will be in a powerful position to find the appropriate experts to help you begin development on your exciting website campaign. Julia Stege is owner and principal designer of Graphic Girlz Design Solutions, a Bay Area based marketing, graphic design and website development firm. She specializes in market strategy, project management, product development, logos and branding, design, content development, and production of Internet and print marketing campaigns. |