When you finally get your new website pushed live, it’s like a huge weight that is lifted off of your shoulders. You’ve worked back and forth with your developer, made a ton of revisions and you finally have the finished product. What could go wrong?
So many business owners find themselves in this position, they invest the resources, time and money into a website only to feel like it isn’t doing much for their business. The mentality “build it and they will come” can’t be more wrong when it comes to your website.
Don’t worry though, you’re at a good place. It’s now time to communicate to your audience about your business, whether that be a postcard, print ad campaign, social media, email marketing, SEO, or pay-per-click advertising – there are a ton of ways to reach your audience, and your website serves as a “hub” for all of these channels.
So, here is what’s next.
Google Analytics
First and foremost, make sure you have tracking setup on your website. Google Analytics is a fantastic tool that is free which will tell you which campaigns are generating revenue. Spending $5,000 on a direct mail campaign? Track it on your website and see how many leads converted into sales from that campaign. Google Analytics can help.
Digital Marketing
Back in the day, you could simply run a print ad in the local newspaper and have people visit your retail location. Those days are gone. If you aren’t present where your audience is, then you are losing them.
Digital marketing strategies have a wide span, but consider SEO (search engine optimization), social media marketing and email marketing as a few to get started. Budget, audience and so many other factors drive a digital marketing campaign so take the time to plan before executing. And remember, always track these campaigns!
Add Fresh Content
This is one of the easiest that so many businesses pass up. Adding fresh content helps in so many ways, SEO being one of them. The standard service or product page on your website is great for unknown visitors, but a targeted landing page specific to a marketing campaign and audience is more likely to drive conversions.
Companies with 40+ landing pages get 12 times more leads than those with 5 or less. Source
Test, and then test again
I can’t stress this enough. Marketers test everything. Does green convert leads at a higher rate than blue? What if we say “Talk to Us” versus “Contact Us”? The options are endless to test your website and it is essential to get the highest possible engagement across your site.
Your website is more than a “digital business card” so make it work for you. Simply put, if you aren’t generating leads on your website, something isn’t right.