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Bernadette Doyle

Are you getting the results you want from your website? 

Do you even HAVE a website, or is it still on your 'I'll get round to sorting it out one day' list? In this week's article I want to help you consider how your website fits into your overall sales and marketing strategy and make the adjustments that are appropriate to YOUR business.

1. Do you really need a website? Depending upon what you are offering and the markets you are targeting, you may not even need a website. (In which case you can stop beating yourself up about 'sorting it out' and cross it from your to-do list without guilt!) 

The question is: are your prospects connected to the web? Do they buy online? Are they known to do online research when looking for a new vendor? If you can't say yes to these questions with confidence, then maybe alternative media such as direct mail, Yellow Pages advertising, trade shows or industry publications are more suitable for you. There are plenty of successful businesses who DON'T have fancy websites. Concentrate your efforts in the places where you can expect the best returns.

2. How does your website fit into your overall marketing and sales strategy? What are you expecting from your website? Are you expecting it to generate leads, to make sales, or both? Or is your website simply to enhance your overall image and provide supporting information to prospective clients? 

The answer to these questions will determine what you need to include, and what you can leave out. Ken Evoy, author of 'Make Your Site Sell' introduced me to the concept of Most Wanted Response. In other words, you think about what you MOST want your visitor to do when visiting your site and then plan your site around that. If you want to generate leads, then that is your most wanted response. 

If you want visitors to book on your seminar or training course, then that is your most wanted response, and you should only include that information. Having too many, or competing, 'Most Wanted Responses' dilutes the overall effect. 

3. Are you putting in an effort proportionate to what you expect?  It's unreasonable to expect your website to contribute 50% of your sales results if you aren't putting 50% of your own efforts into making that happen. Over 95% of my business comes from my website, so I allocate a high percentage of my own marketing time to tweaking web pages, testing and measuring results and attracting traffic. 

4. Don't think that you need to be a 'techno-geek' to succeed online.  (I'm certainly not - I needed special training just to use my digital camera!) Yanik Silver, who has a multi-million internet empire, is by his own description a 'techno-dunce'. If you can send an email or type a word document, you certainly have all the technical know-how you need to have a successful website. The rest can be outsourced.

5. Automate a process that doesn't work, and all you have is a faster faulty process.  Some people have unrealistic expectations of their website because they think it is a magic pill that will solve all their marketing problems. At the end of the day the internet is just a media. Expecting it to be a miracle cure is like expecting television advertising to solve all your business problems overnight. There's a little bit more to it than that. 

If you have an effective 'off-line' sales process, then (as long as your audience is reachable online) you can almost certainly move that process online and you should.  But if you haven't yet worked out the basics of your off-line sales process - are you targeting an 'affordably reachable' niche? - are you offering them something they really want (as opposed to what you think they need)? - then you may still have some work to do before you can reap dividends online.

For the right business, an effective website can certainly be a powerful tool, but make sure you have considered your overall strategy before you invest significant amounts of time or money in it.

© 2007 Bernadette Doyle

Bernadette Doyle publishes her weekly Client Magnets newsletter for trainers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, then get your free tips now at www.clientmagnets.com