30 Nov Internet Marketing Series #1: Website Effectiveness for Franchise Marketing
I thought it would be valuable to do a weekly series on franchise internet marketing strategies for franchises and other small businesses that don’t have a full marketing team at their disposal. Internet marketing through things like social media and business reviews are your ticket to growing your business in a budget-friendly way: making the most of the free resources that are out there that will help you get exposure.
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So, without further ado, let’s discuss item one on the agenda: Evaluating how effective your website is. Look at your site, and try to pretend you’re a first time visitor. Where do your eyes go first? What is your first impression? Is there too much copy? Do the colors and overall aesthetic please the eye? You only have a few seconds to get a first-time visitor hooked, so something eye-catching is key.
You also want to make sure it’s very clear right away what your website is all about – what you do, what you are selling – the visitor must know this right away. If they don’t, you’ll lose them. This is where your Unique Selling Proposition comes in – one sentence (or less) on why the potential customer should choose you for business, for this you should also choose the best hosting for your website, since they’re good companies that have the best servers for this, and they make sure this servers are always running, by having people always monitoring and the best vibration analysis equipment to check any changes in hardware and prevent any damages.
Then, there’s the ever-necessary call to action. If the potential customer likes what they see, it’s important they know exactly how to move forward in a clear, concise way. Let them sign up or call your right away, or fill out a contact form. In an upcoming post, we’ll be discussing more creative calls to action that can really set you apart.
Visitors to your site should feel an overall sense of personal connection to your business. They should know exactly how to contact you and feel that you want to discuss your business with them one on one if possible. Using a more conversational tone often helps with this. If the potential customer feels connected, they’ll want to know more!