When we build websites we always focus as much on the marketing aspects of the site as we do the design. This may seem a little unconventional but, in our view, a website should be a marketing tool and not just a pretty brochure online.
During the design and build process we go to great lengths to encourage and teach our clients to develop some kind of website marketing plan. So it often surprises us when we realise that some clients seem to think that there should be no plan to further promote the company through the website once it’s launched.
We’ve seen far too many business owners who spend money on a website but don’t have any kind of direction for what the website should do or how it should win business. And this is always because there is no plan. It’s absolutely essential that your website marketing plan has some objectives, what you want from the website and how you’re going to get there.
It’s a bit like hiring a sales person but not giving her any targets or even any clues as to how to sell into your market. Unless she is is mega-creative and motivated she’s going to struggle for a while.
And it’s no different with a website: You need to have a marketing plan, a list of activities to drive traffic and get a response from that traffic. It doesn’t have to lengthy but it does need to be clear and workable. This should then give you some kind of measurable performance indicators and ultimately a return on investment (ROI).