So, you have a website. Good for you! As a small business owner, you probably don’t have a professional creative staff to write copy for it though. You kinda, sorta know what you want to say but you don’t know how to say it in a way that will make sense to the people you want to reach…your prospects!
Many small and medium businesses make the mistake of merely touting the features of their widgets and their services. Your prospects might think that’s all good, but what they really want to know is this:
How is any of this going to help ME?
What you need is content that resonates with the value that your prospects are seeking. Here are a few suggestions:
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Establish your target audience. Be specific. If you’re targeting other business owners, say so. If you want to reach stay-at-home dads, let your site’s content express that.
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Identify their need. This can be stated through a question or statement, as in “Looking for a reliable roofing company?” When people see that you understand their concern, they will gravitate towards your content.
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Get them WHERE they’re hot. Some of your prospects will be ready to buy immediately. All they need is an order form on your site. Others need to be educated. For these, a free “Call-To-Action” offer is often beneficial. It establishes you as a reliable, knowledgeable partner who wants to help your prospect find a solution. If your prospect isn’t quite ready to buy, but is well-educated on the benefits of your products, you’ll want to include contact information so specific needs can be discussed individually. By getting your prospects where they are, you’re building your sales pipeline. You know what to do from there! Sell, sell, sell…
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Direct them to your website. Here’s where some education and expertise will come in handy. You need to promote your site every time you have an opportunity. Publish it on your business cards, flyers, phone listings, etc. Make sure your content is rich with keywords and phrases, but not artificially so. Google and other search engines are not kind to businesses that attempt to blatantly manipulate their procedures.
If you’re just beginning to establish an online identity through your website, or perhaps reassessing the one you’ve had for awhile, we hope these tips will help you. What have you found helpful in your website marketing strategy? We welcome your contribution through our Comments section below.
