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Guest Column by Dean Swanson

 

In my last column, I concluded by stating, “If your business is present, engaging and interacting, and providing resources, you’ll increase the chances of people finding your business and choosing you.” Now let us focus on what tools you should use to build a strong foundation for your online marketing efforts. We will look at how to set your business up for success using the new “word of mouth” marketing. 

The first place to start is with a mobile-friendly website. This is your online hub. Your website is at the center of all your online activities. It is the hub you’ll want to point people to in order to drive business. You should not rely solely on social media sites. You’ll want to have a place you own.

Think about the first thing you do when you want to investigate a business. Typically, you will go looking for a website to learn more. Your potential customers are doing the same. And they are frequently doing it on a mobile device, making a mobile-friendly website important for today’s consumers.

When we say mobile-friendly, what we mean is mobile-responsive. A mobile-responsive website provides a great experience for visitors regardless of how they are viewing it because it adapts to the device being used to access it. With a mobile-responsive website, visitors will not struggle to find the information they need. The good news is that you no longer need to be a web designer to build an effective mobile-friendly website.

My experience is that it is best to buy a domain name for your website to match your business name.  In the early stages of your business, you may use free tools to get online. Eventually, you will want to use your own domain (for example, YourBusinessName.com) to look professional and add credibility to your business.  Also, remember that there are many ways to do this. It does not need to be super expensive to get a custom designed site. For example, you can get a custom-designed, mobile-optimized site in just minutes with Constant Contact’s intelligent website builder.  I have seen some great results with this.

Your website should have at least three pages. When people visit your website, they are looking for answers to their questions. Many web builders use the following pages to answer them:

1. Homepage: Your front door

2. About page: Your story

3. Contact page: Your chance to connect

Think about your business specifically to add additional pages. For example, a restaurant should have a Menu page. If you are selling products, you should have an Online Store. A spa should have a Services page. Most businesses benefit from having blog functionality on their site as well (more on that later). What should you put on those three core pages?

Home page:   

• What is your product or service?  People do not have a lot of time. Be clear. Be specific.

• Who is it for? The visitor is asking, “Is this for me?” Who is your ideal customer? Do you serve a particular group or industry? Make it clear who your product or service is for.

• So what? Why would your potential customer care? Why should they choose you? Is there something about your product or service that makes it unique?

• What should visitors do next?  Make a purchase? Contact you? Request a demo? Give an email address for resources? Make it clear what action people should take as their next step.

About page

• What is your story? What problem are you trying to solve for your customers? What obstacles did you face and overcome trying to solve this problem? Why is your business important to you?

• Why should people care?  How will potential customers benefit from working with you? How will you solve their problem and give them peace of mind? Do you have testimonials to support?

• What makes you or your business different? What are you better at than anyone else? How will you use your skills to help your customers? What’s your plan for them?

Contact page:

• Where can I find you? Do you have a physical location(s)? Where is your company based?  Which social media channels do you use?

• When can I reach you?  What are your hours of operation? Are all locations the same? Are there different hours for support? Other functions?

• How can I contact you? Is there more than one way? Start with your preferred method. What should they expect in terms of a reply?

• Don’t have a physical location? You can use a P.O. box or list the areas you serve.

What happens if someone visits your website and doesn’t make a purchase?

It is unlikely they’ll come back again. But what if you had a way to contact them? Then you could encourage them to return to your site and eventually do business with you.

This is why you’ll want to collect email addresses from people who visit your website. You can do this by adding sign-up forms to your website. In addition to using your website, you should also think about collecting emails in person and in print. Offer something of value to visitors in exchange for their email addresses — like a discount, exclusive content, or a way to show support — to get more people joining your list.

Once you have someone’s email address, you are able to reach out on a consistent basis to encourage them to do business with you by sharing a combination of helpful and promotional messages.

If you have a website, review it for the main pages that I have mentioned above. Make sure that you are answering the key questions suggested above. If you do not have a website, create a simple one. I suggest that you try a service like Constant Contact to get this done in minutes!

In my next column, look for the next important tool to tie your website to your current and potential customers. This is how you drive your business! Do not forget to ask for help from a SCORE mentor.

Dean Swanson is a volunteer certified SCORE mentor and former SCORE chapter chairman and district director.