Some people are looking for the ultimate Internet marketing solution.
If you’re one of those people you’re probably considering all kinds of marketing strategies.
Everything from advertising to social media to search marketing is a potential option. You’re probably even considering doing a little bit of everything.
Before you start investing in an Internet marketing solution it’s good to take a step back and consider how the best solutions and strategies are setup.
The good ones, it seems, are setup with the organization’s website as the main point of all Internet activity. This means that your website is your real Internet marketing solution.
Your Website Is Your Internet Marketing Solution Center
Before you start any online marketing activity you need a place to send people.
All ads, social media sites and mentions in online media need something to link to. Your website is the place where you can send your potential customers when they want to know more about you. The ad or social media site gets their interest and the content on your site answers their questions. From there the site visitors make their purchasing decision.
In the last couple years, companies have used social media profiles like Facebook Business Pages as the center of their online activity.
This decision comes with risk.
By using Facebook for your online activity you’re putting control of the platform, design and even content in the hands of Facebook. They can change the platform without warning and you’ll be left struggling to adapt.
The idea of growing your business by using the Internet is to earn the attention of people where they are spending their time. You use ads, put content on social media and earn mentions on other websites. Once you have earned that attention the initial path to a sale is to get people on your website.
It’s something you control and gives you the best chance to earn the eventual sale.
Website Content
A website project should really start with the website content.
Before contacting a designer and developer you need an outline of all the content you need to have your website.
I always think of a website as an online salesperson. You want the site to have all the content a salesperson has when they encounter a prospect.
The homepage should have high-level information about what your newest prospects are most interested in when they come to your company. Prospects often have questions about price or what the basic service is.
Put this information on the homepage and have a call to action to move the visitor through the sales process.
A common next step is to learn more about the services on the services page. The site visitor will want to learn about your company by reviewing the about page.
Think of all the questions your prospects have and turn your answers into pages of content for your site. Structure the site so it moves visitors through the entire sales process until they are ready to contact you and hire you for your services.
Website Design
Once you have all the content in place you’re ready for the design. The designer’s job is to understand your business, your industry and your customer. They will take this information along with your content and create an experience that moves visitors down the sales path to an eventual sale.
The design process is more than just making the content pretty. It’s about the entire experience and how your online sales person (your website) will perform when a potential prospect stumbles on the site.
Conclusion
As you look at an Internet marketing solution it’s important to take a step back and realize that before you starting looking at advertising and social media that you need an effective website.
It’s something you control. It’s where your prospects go to make a purchase.
Think of your website as your online salesperson. Equip the site with everything it needs to make a sale.
Start with the content and then find a designer.
This will turn your website into the ultimate Internet marketing solution.
