3 simple questions that will change the way you look at your website.
If you’re still using your website as on online brochure, or it’s over two years old, or it’s not mobile-ready, you’re falling behind your competition. That’s a fact. Your website is the centerpiece of your industrial marketing strategy. Don’t neglect it.
Take a moment to answer the poll below, and then I’ll discuss why your answers are critical to your industrial marketing success.
If you don’t know the answers, you probably want to ask yourself why that’s the case. And remember, be honest! Lying to yourself isn’t going to boost sales.
So, how old is your website?
With technology advancing so quickly, any site that is over two years old is simply outdated. While it may be functioning fine, you’re falling behind your competition.
But odds are, you’re not just lacking a fresh new design. No, your site might be missing the mark completely when it comes to functionality – which leads us to my next question.
Does it have a clear purpose?
Your website should be viewed as a lead generator, rather than simply an online brochure. Online brochures are passive.
Instead, industrial companies need to be actively generating leads by offering content that helps solve potential customers’ problems. They’re coming to your site because they need something.
Once interested, prospective customers identify themselves (providing their name and email address in exchange for additional content), becoming leads. Using gated content – content that leads can only access by providing more information, such as company sales or number of employees – helps marketers to qualify their leads.
So you’re generating leads. That’s a change in the dynamic. But there’s one more thing you need to worry about…
Are you mobile ready?
Business buyers today behave similarly to consumers, browsing on mobile devices, seeking advice via social media and taking a research-based approach to even small decisions. B2B marketers can learn from the best practices of B2C marketers when approaching their social media campaigns.
As I’ve written about mobile before,
Traditional sites are designed to be viewed on a standard computer screen, not a smaller mobile screen. Traditional sites contain a lot of information, and can be cumbersome to navigate on a smaller screen. Mobile-users are looking for information that can be accessed quickly and easily, especially while on the go.
How do you look at your answers now? Do you feel your website is still “good enough,” – or worse, that “good enough” is acceptable?
While social media might be flashier, or email marketing might be simpler, your website remains the centerpiece of your industrial marketing strategy. It should never take a backseat.
If your website is just an online brochure, it’s a liability. Know it or not, it’s already costing you.
Photo credit: Anderson Mancini
