Pretty is as Pretty Does — Don’t Waste Money on Another Website Redesign
This article appeared in the April 2019 issue of MiMfg Magazine. Read the full issue and find past issues online.
In the age of digital marketing, your website is a tool. It is your 24/7 sales center, a resource for your potential clients, and a powerful asset your sales and marketing teams can use to their advantage. It should look up-to-date but design should not be your top priority. Too many manufacturers waste money on website redesigns that don’t work to bring in new business.
If you’re looking to generate leads, here are five components of your website that are more important than design.
Content Strategy = Lead Generation
Quality content serves two purposes:
- to draw in new, qualified visitors.
- to help your site rank well on search engines.
It doesn’t matter what your website looks like if you don’t have any content to support it. Without content, there’s nothing for search engines to rank, and nothing for site visitors to learn.
Start by identifying your ideal buyer. What are their roles, goals, and challenges? Write content that solves that ideal buyer’s pain points. Address their specific situation to create content your ideal buyer wants to read. This brings qualified traffic right to your website for great content that solves their problems.
Implement Calls-to-Action
The manufacturing sales cycle is long. It’s important to give potential clients every opportunity to move through the buyer’s journey quickly. Calls-to-action help you gently pull potential leads through the sales funnel by encouraging actions that nudge them closer to a decision.
Calls-to-action also help you capture valuable contact information. With names and e-mail addresses in hand, you can continue to nurture leads with helpful, relevant e-mail marketing tools.
Always Include Contact Information
Your website should make contacting your team a seamless experience. In today’s busy world, it’s easy for prospects to drop out of the funnel if they can’t contact someone the minute they think of a question.
Implement click-to-call buttons and enable a contact page that allows prospects to send an e-mail directly from your website. When prospects can easily contact your team whenever they think of a question, you’ll capture more leads.
Develop Attractive Content Offers
Your website is a tool to help you gain new potential clients, and convert leads. Your website draws people in. Content offers convert those new visitors into legitimate leads.
Turn your catalogs and brochures into downloadable PDFs for simple, attractive content offers. This is valuable content a prospective client will happily exchange their e-mail address for. They get the content they need, and you get contact information for an interested lead.
Prioritize Tool Integration
Your website should work with your sales and marketing teams to collect leads and nurture them through the buyers funnel. Integrate your website with other sales and marketing tools like your CRM, your newsletter, and your e-mail marketing campaigns. When these tools function together, your sales and marketing teams can get their jobs done efficiently.
It’s a waste to spend money on a website that only looks nice, when you have such potential to grow your digital presence. Few manufacturers have a robust digital platform, which means you have the opportunity to step ahead of the competition and be the first in your industry to leverage your website for success.