By: John Lavey | Hammock President/COO
A common complaint about websites is they don’t clearly and explicitly convey a company’s mission and goals. In fact, one of the worst things to hear about your own site is, “I looked through it, but I still don’t know what you do.”
One of the primary purposes of a website is to help people understand what you do, so this seems like a big miss. I wonder, though, if what people really mean is, “I don’t know how you can help me.”
Most sites have sections that explain the company’s purpose and goals, but they aren’t necessarily written or designed to quickly and easily answer the unspoken question that drives a visit by a prospect: How can you help them solve their problem?
Here are three ways to make your site as clear as possible:
- Help your customer see themselves. Share stories of how you’ve solved problems for companies that look just like them. Case studies and portfolios of relevant work are important.
- Create options for your solutions. Put answers to their questions in several different frameworks. For example, a healthcare marketer coming to Hammock’s website might want to know if we have expertise in healthcare, and whether they should consider a content campaign to help support their brand. Others will wonder if we can help develop their presentations. Make it easy for them to navigate to these answers (which, for Hammock, is “Yes.”).
- Refine your language. Think carefully about how you describe your services, and if you use business terms or industry acronyms that could easily confuse your audience, edit them. For instance, we’re not a fan of the business buzzword “content marketing” because it can mean so many different things. We like more precision. Find ways to more fully explain your product or service so that anyone can understand what you mean.
It’s easy to use your website to tell your audience how great you are. However, you are more likely to be a successful marketer if you create a website that belongs to your customers rather than to yourself.
Image: Getty Images
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