[VIDEO] How To Build A Powerful Website
When putting together a social media strategy for your business, don’t forget to include your company website.
But, what does my business website have to do with my social media strategy?
(So glad you asked.)
Everything.
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Your website and your social media platforms work together to build your online presence.
Ideally, you would use your social media platforms to reach out to a broad audience.
Then, with content, you would drive a targeted audience to your website, where you could further build rapport with them, and possibly close a sale.
Looking at it this way, you can see how important your website is to your social media marketing strategy.
Otherwise, even if you have a strong social media presence – and are getting tons of engagement on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn – if you have a terrible website, you would stand to lose that audience (and potential revenue and growth) once they landed on your website.
Your website is an integral part of your social media strategy.
Make sure your social media and website effectively work together by making sure your website includes these 5 features…
Your website should add value
First and foremost, your website should add value.
If someone finds you on social media, you’ve likely attracted them because you offered good advice or inspiration.
So now, they’ve come to your website in search of more value.
Do not disappoint them.
You can now offer more in-depth value by ways of a blog, for instance, to further develop rapport and trust with your target audience, and cement your status as a leading authority or expert in your field.
By offering them value, you will make sure that it is in your audience’s best interests to visit your website, to stick around, and to want to come back.
Your website should help you build your list
Once you’ve driven traffic from your social media outlets to your website, and you’ve provided extreme value to your targeted audience, your next move is to gather email addresses.
The truth is, while social media is great for reaching out to a broad audience, it takes a lot of hustle to get people back for a second, third, or fourth visit.
Statistically, it takes 7-21 impressions in order to convert a lead into a paying client.
Some research says it takes even more than that.
The point is, you need to make a lot of impressions on someone before you can build trust and convince them to do business with you.
Getting repeat impressions on social media is a challenge.
Getting repeat impressions via email is much easier.
Furthermore, you will never be able to control the restrictions or algorithms that pervade social media, because you are not the owner of your social media platforms.
But, you are the owner of your email list.
So, once you’ve qualified your niche audience and directed them to your site for more content and value, grab their email addresses so you can stay in touch with them.
This might be as simple as including a call-to-action on your website that says they should subscribe to your e-blast so you can offer them more valuable content.
Or, if you want to get even better results building your email list, offer them a downloadable ebook, video, PDF, or some such gift, that they can get for free in exchange for their email address.
Your website should feature testimonials
Testimonials are a very convincing way to convert leads into customers.
Sharing your satisfied clients’ stories about how you identified their struggles and frustrations and was able to solve their problems is way more convincing than any sales pitch.
Your potential clients will see themselves in the people giving the testimonials, and they will feel like you can understand them and help them with your product or services.
Reading the testimonials of real people humanizes your business and shows how it makes a positive impact in the real world.
If you have been on LinkedIn for some time, hopefully you have been leveraging their very powerful testimonials feature.
Notice I am not referring to the LinkedIn endorsements feature. I am referring to the testimonials feature, where your connections can write about why you are a good person to do business with.
These testimonials are a great way to bulk up your LinkedIn profile.
If you have been collecting LinkedIn testimonials, you just have to copy and paste the best and most relevant ones into your website.
You could even link back to your LinkedIn profile page, where your audience could be encouraged to connect with you on LinkedIn.
In this way, your website and LinkedIn profile can be used to enhance each other.
Your website should make it impossible to NOT find you
Your website should have all pertinent information so that your potential client can find you.
This means your phone number, email address, and also your street address if you happen to have a storefront or brick and mortar business.
Do not forget to include direct links to your various social media platforms.
Notice that I said links to your social media platforms, not just buttons so that people can share your content via social media.
Too many businesses make the mistake of linking to Facebook or Instagram, but not directly to their social media business profiles.
They don’t seem to realize that unless you are logged into a specific account, that profile page isn’t going to automatically load up for everyone.
Make sure your social media links go where they are supposed to – directly to your profile pages, so that people can immediately become followers and engage with your content.
Also, it is advisable that you enable your website to open new windows when someone leaves your website to see your social media profiles, otherwise you run the risk of your audience becoming distracted on social media and forgetting about your website altogether.
But… what about ME?
By now, you might be wondering when and where you can finally talk about yourself on your own website.
Traditionally, business websites were constructed much like online billboards, or advertisements.
People are much more desensitized to blatant advertising these days, so this approach is kind of on the old-fashioned side.
A better – and more modern – approach is to keep the focus on your audience.
Instead of talking about yourself, your products, and your services, talk about the people you help and the problems you solve for them.
This does two things.
First, it identifies your target audience and proves that you understand who they are and where they are coming from.
Second, it builds rapport with that audience by showing how much you care about solving their problems.
By focusing on building relationships and helping your audience, you will make sales, but not in a heavy-handed, “greasy car salesman” kind of way.
The ideal business website doesn’t feel like it’s selling, as much as it feels like it is providing value.
A great business website should work in tandem with your social media presence. Your company website should add value to your target audience via a blog or similar content. Your website should help you grow your email list by offering a downloadable lead magnet, such as an ebook. Your business site should feature client testimonials and all your social media contact information. Your website should focus on your audience and the problems your business, product, or service can solve for them.
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