Seven Steps To An Effective Web Presence
The Internet: It’s not just for stalking anymore. But you knew that, right? (You do know that, don’t you?) No, as you know (hopefully), the web offers enormous potential for any marketer who takes the time to understand it, and who takes a strategic approach to online branding. On the other hand, it can be a bottomless money pit for organizations that take a reactive stance and jump at every new idea that comes along. Or it can go on its merry way and leave you high and dry, if you ignore it.
Do you want your web presence to do more for your business? It can, but it pays to follow these seven rules of performance.
1. Speak The Language Of Value
There was a time in history (look it up, it’s called Anytime Besides Now) when most companies knew the importance of tying the value of their offer to market demand. They did this by engaging people who could express thoughts in words (a novel concept, no?). Those people were called “writers.” Writers (there are still a few around, living under bridges or in studio apartments with 37 cats) can deconstruct your offer and express the brand promise that differentiates it from your competition, in ways people will understand, and – more importantly – buy into.
In 2010, I conducted the Houston Value Language Study, a survey of the home pages of the top 100 public companies in Houston. What I found (shockingly) is that very few major local companies make a strong statement of value on their web sites. Conversely, the 25 best-known brands (the Apples, Microsofts and Virgins of the world) make very clear value promises that have a strong emotional impact.
2. Invest In Real Design
I was visiting with a colleague recently (a “seasoned veteran,” like myself). He was twisted up about how the market for marketing had changed, and laid out the following lament: The web was created by code monkeys, highly intelligent geeks who can twist digits all day long, but who don’t know beans about effective communication (sorry, geeks). Just as they invented the word “content” because they didn’t know there was already a word for narrative messaging (copy), they somehow also positioned themselves as designers. People, good writing and design existed long before computers, long before the web. Designers are people who are trained to translate complex ideas into engaging expressions (visually, most often) that influence how people think, feel and behave. Because they are trained professionals, designers tend to charge money (usually less than lawyers, but more than psychotherapists).
Therein lies the rub. We’ve been conditioned to expect free stuff — free ideas, free results. Unfortunately, it is impossible to research, absorb, translate, vet, present, sell, and implement an expression of brand value for 99 bucks. Sorry. Design is about differentiation, positioning, persuading and influencing. As Thomas Watson, Jr., former Chairman of IBM said, “Good design is good business.” It’s worth investing in, especially when you consider your competitors are either sitting ducks because they are not using it, or are using it to leave you in the dust.
3. Understand Coactive Strategy
It’s a coactive world out there. Kevin Kelly, Wired Magazine’s editor-in-chief, said, “Each time the media reinvent themselves, they expand the number of choices without excluding any of the previous ones.” Media don’t replace media, generally speaking; they just add to the mix. And to the confusion, in case you haven’t noticed. A smart web marketer has to stay on top of search engine optimization, online advertising, social media, and every other channel that’s part of the mix, including traditional media. Most importantly, he or she needs to understand each medium is individually fairly weak, but when used in a coactive strategy, they feed and strengthen one another. They’re like weird undersea animals, living in symbiotic relationships, but the plankton they’re living on is your brand.
4. Build A Tribe
Seth Godin is credited with the injection of the word “tribe” into our business lexicon. He didn’t coin the term, he just wrote a best-selling book about it. His book teaches us that in the new era (that’s now), we’ll relate to our markets and audiences more like we would to a tribe. Seth sez: “The Web can do amazing things, but it can't provide leadership. That still has to come from individuals, people just like you who have passion about something. The explosion in tribes means anyone who wants to make a difference now has the tools at her fingertips.” Think of your market as a tribe (and read Seth’s book), and you’ll probably see ways to use the web to do some amazing things.
5. Analyze, Analyze, Analyze
The coolest thing about the web, as a marketing medium, at least, is that it gives you the power to see exactly who is getting your message (demographically, not necessarily individually), measure how they are responding to it, compare alternate messaging, and improve reach, frequency and connection – all in real time, for very little money. Yet most managers and business owners do very little in terms of real analysis. To ignore analysis of a medium that advertises your brand, engages prospects, and even closes sales is risky business.
6. Keep Up With Updates And Maintenance
Companies who operate gigantic web sites know they need constant maintenance. Surprisingly, most smaller companies don’t. There are gremlins out there, however, whose only purpose in life is to screw up the code in your beautiful site. I’m not really kidding about this; as web sites sit there, things can actually break, especially as browsers and computer operating systems are upgraded. Of course, facts change from time to time, too, and site owners forget to update. People leave and their bios remain online; products are discontinued or added. Most commonly, blogs and news articles aren’t maintained, because no one’s in charge. Social media sites are the worst. I see company Facebook pages every day that haven’t been updated in years, Twitter feeds with no new tweets since tweet was a noise a bird made, and LinkedIn profiles with outdated information. More importantly, copy, keywords and metadata stagnate when they’re not changed, and after a while Google thinks, “Meh. They must not want to be found.”
7. Get Used To Constant Change
Every day, new online ideas are launched, any one of which has the potential to change the whole digital landscape instantly and permanently. Someone is working on the next Facebook even as we speak. Browsers are changing, devices are being added. Heck, before you know it, someone’s going to invent a pair of glasses with the Internet built right into it. Of course, your business changes, too. Along with your vision, your ambitions, your opportunities. Don’t expect your web site to stay useful for long; the fact is, most web sites are obsolete within a few short years. The bottom line is if you employ an online strategy that follows these seven rules, you should be able to cover all the bases, and end up with a web presence that gives you a true sustainable competitive advantage.
If you want to talk web strategy, give me a shout.