NETWORK BUSINESS CARD OR MARKETING TOOL?
In the past, de facto company websites were often static constructions at all levels, which presented primarily basic data about the company and its services. So the comparison with a business card (on the Internet) was absolutely correct - and this orientation really led to satisfactory results for a long time. With the ever-increasing capabilities of the web and, last but not least, the technical background, user habits have changed dramatically, making the days of static business cards a thing of the past. Nowadays, a company's website must meet much broader requirements.
The requirements of network users are significantly higher than ten or even 20 years ago. The former are evident above all in an unprecedented level of self-determination and specific expectations regarding technical and personal usability. Today's network users are fed up with interchangeable advertising messages. Above all, they are looking for information that will actually help them solve personal or professional challenges or meet needs. In addition, you would like to get these facts equally well and optimally user-friendly in all common end devices.
The company's modern website should be a marketing tool that interacts well with the relevant target group and can be used flexibly in every phase of the customer's journey. Since it is still the foundation of online marketing, companies that want to achieve real success on the Internet should not ignore this development! But how does your company get an online presence, and what should you pay special attention to when aligning your company's website?
BE UNIQUE
Today, there are more than 1.8 billion websites worldwide - and the number is growing. Of course, none of these internet presences are your direct competitors, but the number clearly shows that competition will also increase in niches sooner or later. In order not to lag behind here, it is important to react at an early stage - with a unique position and the highest level of orientation of the target group. What this means and what defines a modern, long-term competitive website, read below.
FOCUS ON YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
Nowadays, web users usually know exactly what they are looking for and if not, at least after a very short study it is absolutely clear to them what they are not looking for. As a result, you should always keep track of any challenges or needs of your target group in all online marketing activities. Because only if those on your company website feel well advised at every stage of the customer's journey will your products or services actually be used in the end.
OFFER UNIQUE ADDED CONTENT
Internet users are primarily looking for information. For example, the decision to purchase B2B is now largely complete when a potential customer first contacts the company. But B2C is now also being bought much less impulsively than a few years ago.
So you should definitely comply with this request for information. The key to success here is unique and above all content that creates real added value. This should always attract your (potential) customers, ie. your target group, exactly where they need the relevant information. This is the only way to achieve maximum success in attracting customers to the network. In addition, such content is extremely important for SEO. And since many web users today are starting their journey with Google and Co., this aspect, of course, should not be underestimated.
More specifically in the field of B2B, it is also useful to generate potential customers using such content. Simply put, lead generation means the following: You provide your target audience with highly desirable content versus data. Then you continue to strategically process the contacts obtained in the process of growing lead. In this way, you can guide your (potential) customers very effectively in the review phase in favor of using your products or services.
USE A STRATEGIC LEVELED WEB DESIGN
If you have a new website, it must, of course, have a modern design. Of course, we can't tell you what web design should look like in your case. However, in general you need to make sure that you are not too pompous and always specific to the target group: Less is more! In our experience as an agency that has been successful in this field for many years, it is not advisable to use complex textures, decorations, animations or three-dimensional elements that serve only as an end in themselves. Limit yourself to the most important thing - make it attractive and convenient for users and search engines everywhere. Also, create (at best) emotions and strengthen your brand or build trust by using corporate design.
CREATE A COMPLETELY MOBILE WEBSITE
Your (potential) customers no longer have access to your web offers exclusively via PC or Mac. Both B2C and B2B, the number of those who regularly use portable devices is constantly increasing. A few years ago, Google took this development as an opportunity to use only mobile versions of websites for ranking. Therefore, mobile optimization of the company's website is very suitable at different levels.
OFFER A QUICK CHARGE TIME
Since Google officially announced page speed as one of the most important ranking factors in the summer of 2018, loading speed has been one of the central prerequisites for a company's successful website. Accordingly, your website should not take more than 1.5 - 2 seconds before visitors can use the relevant content. If this is not the case, they quickly look elsewhere for relevant information, which in turn gives Google a negative rating. Charging time is a simple issue, especially in the mobile sector, which is so important today because there are often particularly large deficits. This means that the loading speed is also very important on several levels.
Clearly, you can no longer achieve significant success with a traditional website strategy. Your company can only use a long-term marketing tool with a design that is perfectly coordinated at all levels and that optimally meets the expectations of your (potential) customers (and last but not least those of search engines). The key words here are unique positioning, accuracy of the target group and added value. If you would like to learn more about it or learn more about content marketing, customer generation, and overall customer engagement online, please contact us as a long-standing successful agency in all of these areas.