Does your website support your sales efforts or cater to your ego?
2010 Sep 28
By Ikon Marketing Group
credit: John Cox & Allen Forkum
At some point in the life of most businesses the decision to develop a website is made. If your business is in the process of making decisions about your website, whether it is in the design phase or a site that currently exists but is in need of an update, you have a number of important items to consider.
Your website’s most important task is to talk to and serve your potential customers. What all-to-often happens, however, is the development of a site that feeds the owner’s (or decision maker’s) ego.
How do we get the ego involved in a discussion of a business’s website? It is not too difficult actually, and I don’t blame the decision makers because it is hard to extract yourself from something so personal and look at the website from the customers’ point of view. Decision makers know their product and service inside out, all the technical nuances and the bells and whistles, and they are dedicated to making the business succeed. They generally have great passion for what they do.
But this knowledge and passion is exactly what can create a disconnect between the business’s website and the customers.
The disconnect occurs when the business shares information in a way that does not best serve the customers’ needs or attention span, and chooses graphics and colors that detract from the user experience.
A website should be designed first and foremost to support your business goals. The end goal, in virtually any business, is to create sales. How you achieve your goal may differ – a service business needs to share enough information to create a contact, a products website is looking for either an immediate online purchase or a referral to the company sales team – but the similarity is in wanting the customer to take action.
Goals are accomplished with the development of a well-thought out strategic plan for the website, usually designed with the assistance of a marketing partner with web marketing experience. This marketing partner will know about user interactions with websites and other facts that impact decision making via the worldwide web.
Your plan should include a profile of your customers. Start by creating a list of questions your customers need answered about the product or service you are offering. With this information you can build a navigation plan for the website. The navigation should be designed to walk potential customers through the decision-making process on the way to the goal.
Focusing on the customers’ needs will allow your website to produce results. When your website is viewed as an active member of your sales team – and not just a marketing expense – you will understand the importance and value of this powerful tool.
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Craig Sutton,
I believe that you have to understand your true ego (I in Latin) before you could create a website that support your sales effort. My view is that you have to ask the question who you are and that you company stands for and then these ideas have to come through in a clear way on your site.
I am happy that you have used the EGO logotype for my blog as an illustration to your post, but please give credits to the creators of the logotype, John Cox & Allen Forkum.
You are welcome to give me feedback on my [under construction] site, Ego Sole Trader. Please read my first post, Ego under a Rough Banner.
Talking about website design, you have done a marvelous job with BizSugar!
Martin,
Thank you for your comment. I have also included the credit for the logotype, appreciate you providing that information.