If your website isn’t earning you money or growing your business, it might just feel like you’re paying some kind of digital rent. Here are some reasons why your website might not be working for you and what you can do about it.
If you have an office, you probably feel like the rent you pay is just part of the cost of doing business. The rent, itself, isn’t earning you any new business. It’s just a cost for your spot in the marketplace. Unfortunately, many people feel the same way about their website. You feel like you have to have one, but you don’t know what to do with it and don’t know how to leverage it so that it actually becomes a profitable investment to grow your business.
Your Website Isn’t A Digital Window
If you’ve worked with a traditional design firm or ad agency to build your website, you have probably gone through the process of making a pretty website. And that’s where it stops.
In other words, you created a pretty, digital window, for people to look through as they browse the internet. Maybe they can look in your digital window and see a few faces of your team members. There’s probably a page about the origins of your business. But nothing really drives anyone to call you or send you a message through your contact form. People just peep in as they pass by – just like at the mall.
Tell People Why They Should Care
The truth is, there are many things you can do to actively connect with the folks on your website. The most important thing – the thing you should start with – is make sure it’s obvious why anyone should care enough to click a link and dive deeper into your website. In other words, what’s in it for them? Do you have anything that will actually benefit them? Then say what it is – right away – in as few words as possible. Sell your benefits!
Once a person buys into the benefits, they are much more willing to invest in themselves by spending time on your website. Just think of physical exercise, for example. Very few people would go to the gym and work out if there was no benefit to doing so. Why not just stay home and have some Snickers? The reason people go to the gym and exert themselves is because they buy into the long term benefits of getting fit and improving their health. If you believe that what you are doing will help you, you’re willing to go through a little pain to get there.
Up front, tell people why they should care and then they will stick around.
Keep The Conversation Going
Another huge advantage your website has is the ability to keep the conversation going with your customer. Most people like to take a little time to think about things before they spend their money. They will probably interact with you and your website an average of seven times before buying from you. Don’t rely on them to remember you and come back on their own.
Offer something useful and intriguing in exchange for their email address. Then you can follow up with them on a regular basis until they are ready to buy. This doesn’t have to cost you anything. It can just be a short 1 or 2 page eBook with the answers to the most common questions you get. Or the top five tips you would recommend to your customers. The best thing you can do for your business is start collecting email addresses.
Other ways to keep the conversation going include regular blog posts, making short videos about your business, and sharing news over social meida.
It’s Not A One Way Street
The main thing to keep in mind about using the internet to grow your business is that the internet is not a one way street. Sometimes people think that their website, blog, and social media is all about sending, sending, sending. It’s also about listening.
If someone cares enough to reach out to you, whether it’s a blog comment, an email reply to a newsletter, or a comment on a video it means they care about what you’re doing. Take the time to reply with helpful information and you’ll be winning new customers.
All of this is to say, that your website can be an active and profitable investment for your business. Yes, it takes more effort to use the internet to grow your business than it does to just let your website sit there doing nothing. But the rewards are there. With more and more people online – especially on mobile devices – your website could be the most profitable way to grow your business.
We’d love to help you grow your business.
