2014
Autospeak-Straight Talk contains articles covering digital and social media marketing social communities and events marketing
Refresh your marketing - Build a lead generation engine using your website
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(Posted on Aug 6, 2013 at 04:57PM )
Why should you refresh your website for the purpose of inbound marketing?-
Because it's cheaper - a lot cheaper - than other marketingÂ
 (up to 61% cheaperÂ
according to research) -
Because it can be measured - "What, I can measure real ROI on myÂ
marketing? You're kidding!" No we're not. -
Because it's where you can influence most of your buyers.Â
 We are in the "era of the buyer" whereÂ
the buyer is searching for information online, all day every day, if you're notÂ
there they won't find you. It's that simple. Over 85% of B2B buyers start theirÂ
purchasing journey online through outlets like social media according to research fromÂ
Forrester.
Additionally, digital marketing is evolving at lightning speed, making it difficult for most of us to keep pace, let alone stay ahead of the curve. And,the result of all these advancements is that most marketers are overwhelmed.
Regardless of the rate of change, one indelible fact stands head and shoulders above the rest, it's incredibly important to recognize that simply having a website is notÂ
enough.
In today's world, B2B marketers must adapt their website and turn it into an Â
inbound marketing lead generation machine. That may seem a lofty goal.Â
So, your website will need to wear many hats. A website needs to perform andÂ
not just  exist. Your site needs to attract visitors, educate them and convince them to buy.
In most cases, the traffic you drive to your website from blogs, social mediaÂ
sites, as well as organic and paid searches ends up converting into leads orÂ
sales. Without your website acting as an online "home base," it would beÂ
difficult to attract new business. This is why having an effective website isÂ
so crucial – and why it's so important that it contains powerful key elementsÂ
to drive more traffic, leads and sales.
Whether you have some experience in inbound marketing and just want to brushÂ
up your skills or you know you need to evolve your current marketing, take our Â
B2B Marketing Health Check to find out your starting position. "Auditing" where you are nowÂ
is the first crucial step in building a plan for moving forward.
1) Getting found by your buyers
Let's face it, it's not going to be much of a website if no one visits.Â
Therefore, your first mission is to get found online,Â
covering the very top of your inbound marketing strategy funnel. BuildingÂ
inbound links, discovering the secrets to on page SEOÂ
and how to create effective meta tags are all essential ingredients.Â
2) Investing in good design and usability
Let's assume you're really gaining traction – getting found online. Your nextÂ
focus is to get that traffic to stay and not stray.Â
Remember, you only have one chance to make a good first impression.
Make sure your website reflects your brand and positions your company asÂ
trusworthy and credible. Don't underestimate the power of good design,Â
including: navigation, fonts, colours, images and branding consistency.
But don't get caught up on the need to "look pretty", and instead focus onÂ
the functionality of your site. How easy is it for people to find what the areÂ
looking for? Equally important, is your message blisteringly clear?Â
Really? I mean really! Or are you disguising your ability to genuinely helpÂ
your buyers under layer upon layer of corporate double speak and productÂ
gobbledygook about why you are the best game in town?
3) Building content
With the rise of inbound marketing, content has become front andÂ
centre in the minds of marketers. It is what search engines andÂ
potential customers are looking for. It's what drives visitors to your site andÂ
turns prospects into leads. There is no disputing that content is king.
However, while search engines are getting smarter and smarter and buyers areÂ
becoming more and more selective, it is quality content thatÂ
is king. When it comes down to it, your buyers' reaction to your content willÂ
be the ultimate test. Does your content generate leads? Do you have a contentÂ
marketing plan that fuels your lead generation engine?Â
4) Converting at each funnel stage
Now that you've increased traffic to your website, it's time to convert prospects toÂ
leads. Don't let visitors leave your website without providingÂ
them with valuable information or you'll lose the opportunity to nurtureÂ
them until they are ready to buy.
Landing pages are one ofÂ
the most important elements of effective lead generation. Building powerfulÂ
landing pages allows you to direct your website visitors to targetedÂ
information, present them with robust calls-to-action andÂ
capture leads at a much higher rate.
5) Measuring results
By measuring your inboundÂ
marketing you get to see what is and is not working and then youÂ
can change where you invest your precious marketing time and dollars. SmallÂ
incremental tuning of your inbound marketing engine produces significantÂ
overall improvement in the quality of leads on which your sales team canÂ
feed.
If your business is struggling to adapt to new marketing strategies or, youÂ
simply haven't been able to generate a real impact in your chosen market, it mayÂ
be time to conduct a marketing audit.