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Why Websites Go Beyond Your Marketing To-Do List

By ||Published On: March 9th, 2022||Categories: Firefly Marketing, Website Development||

“That website? Oh, the IT team did that”. 

These words were told to us by one of our new clients late last year. We were meeting with a team of new owners of a business and were reviewing the website that came along with it. 

It was striking to see that with the web having replaced phone directories, reduced print advertising, and knocked nearly every traditional media channel down that a website for the old owners was treated as just a “checkbox”.

The business was B2B focused and had a lot of things going for it. Great staff, good products, strong vendor relationships. But the marketing side was reduced to what appeared to be a checklist. Business cards, check. Phone number, check. Website, check.

So when the new owners told us the name of their newest acquisition, we were shocked at the effort needed to find the URL through Google. After 10 minutes of Googling the name, the name with the address, the services with the name, the only way we could see the site was to hand type the domain in the search bar.

This situation isn’t uncommon in the world of digital marketing. Many businesses treat their website like a box to check and say it is done. In reality, it is one of the main focal points of your digital marketing strategy. Your website is a living, breathing tool for your business. It can and should evolve and grow alongside your business.

“Zero to Hero”

Moving a business with little or no digital marketing in place is challenging. There are a number of uphill tasks to tackle. For Firefly the process can vary depending on the need, but it often starts like this:

  • Establish who the market is and the competition

  • Profile the ideal customers and their purchasing process

  • Use top tools to gather data about current performance

  • Strategize to develop the Goals, Strategies, and KPI’s for success

The website is not explicitly mentioned in this list because the results of these steps form the basis of the overall digital strategy with a website at the heart.

How your website works with your marketing

When creating a marketing strategy that will garner positive results, there are many tools at your disposal. Your website is often the driving force or call to action for each and every one of these channels: 

  • Social Media: Your profiles often contain CTA buttons where you can link to your site. You can also link to your website in posts and the About section of your profile.

  • Advertising: Whether it’s traditional or digital advertising, more often than not you are encouraging users to visit your site to take action (call, fill out a form, learn more, etc).

  • SEO: In order to keep your site ranking well in search engines, you need to make sure your website is keeping up with current ranking factors and online standards.

  • Local directories: Goodbye phone books and hello online directories! These sites (Yelp, Avvo, Angie’s List, etc) often have spots to share your website URL with potential customers searching for services like yours.

  • Email: Almost every email campaign out there today contains multiple links back to a website where customers can shop, learn about deals, and contact the company.

All of these tools ultimately drive users to your website where customers can learn more about who you are, what you do, and how to contact your sales teams directly. Hello ROI!

Think of the User

One thing we often see is business owners only looking at their website on the surface level and often only on desktop. The problem here is that’s not necessarily how customers are viewing their website. They’re more than likely doing a quick search on Google using their mobile device and are oftentimes not even reaching the home page depending on their search terms. It’s important for business owners to put themselves in their customer’s shoes when viewing the website. Where are they going first? What information do they need right away? How easy is it to navigate through the site to find the information they need? Is the formatting responsive? Do the images load properly? Is the site secure?

All of these questions are important to consider when setting up your website. If your ideal customer doesn’t like your site or can’t get the info they need easily, they will likely choose a competitor over you. In fact, almost 70% of consumers admit that page speed impacts their willingness to buy from an online retailer and 42% of people will leave a website because of poor functionality. Remember, your website is promoting your business 24/7.

Final Thoughts

When considering the steps to bringing a business to life, scratch out the checkbox that says, “Get a website”. Instead have it read, “Develop a marketing strategy for long-term success”. The website will automatically be part of the process.

Strategy Meeting

Looking for additional help?

Firefly Marketing Solutions has helped hundreds of companies find their footing and success. Let’s meet to find your ideal strategy.

About the Author: Bill Dalton

Fearless leader of the Fireflies since 1998, Bill is likely to take charge in a situation and explore worthwhile, effective solutions that can benefit others. Putting the “unity” in community, Bill is energized by leading others to success and can often be found rewarding the team with some good home cooking. His knack for finding the sweet spot between leadership and collaboration allows the team to thrive in a fast-paced environment.

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