Your Product Focused Website is Costing You Sales

It's time to explain your why

Once upon a time, publications like the Yellow Pages were the single most significant marketing vehicle for any small business. However, times – and technologies – have changed, rendering the eight-pound leafy behemoth to irrelevancy. When prospects and clients seek information today on a potential partner, they go straight to the internet, which is why a company website is the single most effective marketing arrow in the quiver of any company.

However, it’s not enough to have a website – it must be engaging, relevant, easy to navigate, and work on multiple device platforms. For a website to perform as a robust marketing tool, it must do the following:

• Tell Your Story – In the promotional products industry, far too many websites are focused on the product – the exact same merchandise sold by the competition. When the focus is on selling products and not the purpose behind the products, the results will never be exceptional. People still buy from people – and brands – they know, like, and trust, which is why it’s imperative to tell the audience your story. When the audience understands the “why” you are in the promotional products industry, it will go a long way to building that ever-important relationship necessary to fuel growth.

• Share Success – Few things convey success more than testimonials. They not only build credibility with potential customers, but it also allows your clients to participate in your victories. Keeping testimonials up to date on your website creates a depth of professionalism that a mere online catalog will never generate.

• Work on Multiple Platforms – If your website is not responsive, meaning that it won’t work across different platforms such as desktop computers, mobile phones, and tablets, your traffic will suffer. A few years ago, Google began filtering website responsiveness results and punishing those sites that were not responsive to mobile platforms.

• Drive the Audience via Social Media – When you have something exciting to announce: a new testimonial, a great case history, or the winning of an award, post it on your website in a news section and promote it by linking the specific page on social media platforms. Doing so will drive people to your website and allow them to get to know you on a deeper level.

Your clients don’t want to see another entirely product-focused website – they can, and do, get that anywhere. While an online product catalog should be an important component of any website, the real focus should be on allowing the audience to get to know your organization’s entire sphere, not just a tiny sliver. This gives them the idea of the experience they will have beyond a simple product sale – and that is what will lead to longer-lasting client relationships.