Don’t Be Content with Your Brand’s Content

Don’t give your company’s website the perfect facelift without injecting it with personality. Your new website will attract visitors, but make sure it retains them with effective content strategies that keep people coming back for more.

You’re in the final stages of designing your new website, and you’re adding the last few touches, bells and whistles you’ve always wanted. It looks stunning and feels impressive: your website has stepped into the new millennium and you feel like your company is finally a force to be reckoned with online. Your logo is up, your colors and fonts are exactly the way you want them and the layout speaks to your brand. But have you updated your website’s old content for your new website? This one crucial factor can make or break how successful your website is after you launch it to the world, and yet, many companies fail to address it.

When redesigning your company’s website, it’s easy to drill down on the physical details. But what we see our clients forget all of the time is the fact that they have to update their content to match the “new new” of their website. This isn’t an incredulous idea: many have made this mistake, but they eventually reaped the dire consequences of little traffic and no engagement.

We’ll let you in on the secret: the function of a website has evolved with the times.

It’s not the 1990s anymore: the days of receiving free disk drives of AOL for your home computer by mail are long gone. People interact with websites way differently than they have in the past: instead of using it as an information bank (whom should I call? whom should I email?), they now use it in a multitude of ways (what is this company all about? why should I buy from them?). Because of this, it’s important to a) know that people will not view your website in the same way and b) create a path for your visitors that will allow them to have the best experience with your company online, whether it’s their first or fiftieth time on your website.

Content is often overlooked when it comes to developing a new website because people simply think that one size fits all. Additionally, people (even you!) may have assumed that the old content will be okay, and because you’ve invested in an immaculate design and features that will make your old website blush with envy, you may not realize that your content has a lot to do with driving traffic, clicks, and conversions.

Your new content is supposed to act as a brand extension and be reflective of your brand voice and positioning in the market. You should see your website as the vehicle or the infrastructure to house your content and drive home your key brand messages. And you should use your content to engage, entertain and inspire people long after they’ve left your website. Creating a great web presence starts with great content strategies that are thoughtful and unique to your brand’s perspective and voice and crafted with your audience in mind.

The best way to start off on the right foot when it comes to creating an engaging online presence is by implementing key content strategies that will get your website visitors interacting with your brand. Here are the five best content strategies you should include in your new website:

Provide clear call-to-action (CTA) statements that tell people what you want them to do on your website.

You need big bold CTAs placed throughout your website to tell people how you want them to interact with your website. Do you want them to learn more about your brand by clicking on that red button? Tell them! Do you want them to see whom you work with in the industry? Take them to that page! It’s okay to be a little bossy here because people need direction, but make sure you’re creating clear CTAs that don’t conflict with each other (and don’t confuse your visitor).

Educate, entertain or inform your visitors through a company blog.

Your company’s blog is a great place on your website to display your brand voice, personality and position. But if you haven’t had one (ever!), consider adding one to your website. Blog posts are designed to be free content that educate and entice your website visitors to learn more about your company, but you should map out what content you’ll share using this platform and what purpose it will serve your audience.

Engage people with your brand through a lead magnet.

A lead magnet is simply a freebie that attracts your potential leads to sign up for your email list in exchange for the freebie. Regardless of what type of business you’re in, you can always give away something free that gives people a taste of your work. What are some things you can give away for free? White papers, e-books, PDFs, and audio clips can be good lead magnets, but free shipping, samples, and discounts can also win over your audience, depending on the product or service you sell. Make sure, however, that this lead magnet syncs up with your brand and makes sense for you to give out as part of your business (and it’s not just a random rubber ducky).

Keep in touch after visitors leave your website with a dedicated email.

Now that you have the email of your ideal customer, make sure you reach out to them! You don’t need to email them every day, but whenever you do slide into their inbox, make sure it’s always with value for them, and not for you. Make your email list feel exclusive, and have people knocking down your proverbial door to be on it. Give them info that makes them feel smarter, more in-the-know, more trendy....you get the picture. This can be in the form of a newsletter you send out monthly, but this could also be an email every week that you send out that gives them access to discounts and sales, new information about the industry, etc.

Familiarize people with your company by consistently adding new content to your website.

Don’t let your online presence look like a field of tumbleweeds: no one likes to go to a page to find the same content and no new updates. Whether it’s by maintaining your company blog or hosting webinars or Facebook Live chats, make sure that your website looks active and up-to-date. Give people on your email list a reason to go back to your website, whether that’s to read something, buy something from your business or simply refer a friend or colleague to your website.

Do you need a clear, streamlined path for your new website’s content? Our team of content strategists can help you carve out a roadmap that will guide your customers and have your website working for your company 24/7. Reach out to Creative Juice today for your content strategy needs.