Do you feel like your website is a living, breathing creature? Or is it like a stodgy book you let sit on a shelf and dust off occasionally to pull you out of a rut?
If you're in the latter camp, then keep reading.
Branding is more than your name, logo and design. As Seth Godin once said poignantly, every interaction in any form is branding. Your website should create space for intentional brand interactions. If your website fails to make your customers feel seen and understood and engage people with your value proposition, it's compromising your brand and growth. It's failing to do something fundamental for your business and customers.
Your website can be a powerful tool for acquiring new customers and re-engaging old ones. If used correctly, it can be a full-time member of your growth marketing team. Here's how:
1. Have someone update your site at least once a week.
Assign a person on the team, a new person each week, which helps distribute workload and create a culture of shared ownership or an extension of your team. Updates can be big or small but should add value to your customer. Your updates can:
Present information on how to use a new feature.
Remove outdated or broken links.
Include visuals that signal how your network is growing and diversifying.
Replace old testimonials with new recommendations.
Add web copy that reflects language customers encounter in other sales materials.
People want to see growth, reflection, adaptation, evolution! Regular updates convey that you are active, learning, growing and getting better at what you do.
2. Focus on existing customers.
Yes, new customers are great—but don't forget about those who already know that they love what you do! Some considerations for how you can put this work into practice:
Think about their current experience. Share how the application of your product or service is integrating within their business and reducing friction, inefficiency and redundancies.
Entertain their big/blue sky questions. Offer predictions or perspectives that tie back to those questions.
Assess the features/services they utilize the most. Find ways to optimize the user experience and make those features/services even more accessible and functional.
When you make your customers feel seen and understood, you motivate them to stick around and build an emotional connection to your brand, creating a gateway to conversion. Customers begin to explore other offerings and ways to deepen their engagement with your organization and make referrals.
3. Give quick wins.
Consider your website is one of the first stops on your customer's buyer journey. It is where their brand and onboarding experience begins. When evaluating how much value your website creates for potential customers, ask yourselves:
How are we identifying a problem that connects our brand to our customers?
Is the solution clear and straightforward?
Are we talking about them or ourselves?
Can the website offer anything right away to provide immediate relief and benefit to a potential client?
Business is hard enough. There is no sense in neglecting what can create value and opportunity to help you grow.