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A few years back, I was brought in to write copy for a client’s new Website. The client had a fancy (but frankly, butt-ugly) black flash Website that didn’t match his brand. It had a lot of pages and images that moved, but not much useful information. And it sure didn’t do much to make me want to hire him. I began work on the project by consulting with the other Web, designers, graphic designers and marketers on the team. In addition to creating a new site design, we decided he needed quite a bit more content, including: case studies, helpful tips, solid reasons to hire them instead of the competition, tools to keep people coming back to the site, and more. Then there was the matter of organizing everything…From planning the navigation, to deciding on the path visitors should take through the site, and creating compelling calls to action. Soon things were coming together nicely. But when we brought the client in to review our plans, he seemed confused. He couldn’t understand why we were putting so much time and energy into planning. Seems all he wanted was a Website that looked nicer and better matched his new logo and colors. Boy, did this throw me for a loop! I mean, why invest any time and money redesigning your Website if you’re not going to make it a more effective sales tool, right?!? So I started asking questions trying to better understand where he was coming from. Finally, I got to the root of the matter... His current Website had never brought in any new business—no leads, no sales, nothing. Not really surprising because, in addition to being an assault on the eyeballs, the site was clearly never designed to make sales. Of course, my next question was, “Would you like your Website to generate leads and make sales for you?” You know what his response was??? A “deer-in-the-headlights” stare! It never occurred to him that his Website could actually be doing a large part of the sales and marketing job for him. The thing is, he’s not the only small business owner I’ve run across who feels this way. Whenever I ask entrepreneurs what their Website does to grow their business, nine times out of ten the answer is “nothing”. Or at best, prospects go there to learn more only after talking to them on the phone or in person. Most small business Websites are nothing more than glorified electrified brochures! In this day and age, having an EFFECTIVE, sales-oriented Website is one of the best ways to grow almost any small business without spending a ton of time and money. Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up and find emails from 3 hot leads who are dying to hire you? Or that you made $300 in online sales while you were sleeping? Duh, of course it would! And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make it happen. Best of all, turning your Website into a lead-generating, sales-making machine does not have to cost an arm and a leg. You just need to understand what makes a Website effective, decide exactly what you want yours to do for you, create a plan, then hire someone to get it done (or make the changes yourself). Could your Website be doing more for you? Obviously, if my little story hit home for you, the answer is probably yes. But if you’re not sure, just answer these questions... 1) Does your Website regularly make sales, or send hot leads to your Inbox? 2) Does it show people exactly what you offer, and to whom, front and center on the first page? They should be able to figure this out in 2 seconds or less! 3) Does your Website give visitors a compelling, powerful reason to buy from you instead of your competition? 4) Is the most important content on your site reachable within two clicks off the home page? 5) Does your Website answer visitor’s questions and address their main concerns? 6) Does it help your credibility as an expert by offering useful information to visitors? 7) Do people often compliment you on the ease of navigating your Website? 8) Has your Website content been updated in the last 6 months? 9) Was your Website built with a purpose in mind other than simply having a Web presence (IE: Building a list, selling product, becoming a resource center, etc.)? 10) Did you have a site plan before your site was designed and built? 11) Did a professional copywriter or sales and marketing expert write your content? 12) Does your Website focus on solving the specific problems of your target market and speak directly to them in a conversational, one-on-one tone? If you answered ‘no’, ‘maybe’, or ‘I don’t know’ to any of these questions, chances are your site could be doing a whole lot more to grow your business. So use these questions as starting points to amp up the sales-making power of your Website.
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