Optimize Your Website Design For Inbound Marketing
The idea behind most web design projects is to increase user engagement and generate sales. But what specific strategies should websites designed for inbound marketing use? Shouldn’t they be different to regular sites? The answer, of course, is “yes.”
Build A Contextual Website
If you have spent any time on any of the world’s leading websites, you will have noticed that they are becoming increasingly personalized. For instance, Netflix tracks all of your recently watched programs and offers suggestions for content it thinks you might enjoy, based on your history. Amazon also makes recommendations, showing products that are similar to those which you have already bought.
This type of progressive experience shouldn’t be limited only to the largest companies in the world. It should be something that all businesses introduce, especially since the technology is now so readily available. If you want your content marketing to be successful, it needs to be tailored to the type of person visiting your website. There’s no point producing lots of content for inbound marketing only for customers to be left wondering how any of it is relevant.
The ultimate goal of contextual marketing is to make it seem as if your website is having a one-on-one conversation with the customer. For instance, if a customer downloads of free eBook, it doesn’t make sense to then continues offering that person the same eBook on another page. Contextual marketing which reacts to the customer’s decision is far more effective and personalized.
Choose The Right Type Of Content
Ask any inbound marketing agency, and they will tell you that the form of your content is as important as the subject matter. For instance, if you’re a consumer facing business, like a restaurant, then your content should focus on your recipes how they delight customers. That would mean lots of pictures, videos, and, perhaps, podcasts. However, if you are a B2B company selling software to other businesses, then images or photographs might not be the ideal form in which to present your content. A much better strategy might be how-to videos, webinars or e-books explaining how your product works and how other businesses can use your products to enhance their profits. E-books in particular can help establish your business as a key player in the industry and generate trust.
Talk About Your Audience, Not Yourself
One of the problems that many businesses run into while doing content marketing is spending too much time talking about themselves and too little time focusing on the needs of their customers. Ultimately all of the focus should be on the client, but unfortunately, too many businesses end up talking about their own products in detail without thinking about customer needs. Research has consistently shown that customers aren’t interested in products, they are interested in finding people who can solve their problems. Therefore inbound content should be focused on solving problems, not advertising products. This is essentially the difference between inbound marketing and traditional marketing. With inbound marketing you’re not trying to directly sell your products, you’re trying to increase trust in your brand.
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