When I started designing websites back in 2002, a website was a tool to create your business or organization’s brochure in an “interactive” format allowing Internet visitors to view your information online. Website designs have evolved into efficient and affordable marketing tools that every business should use.
It is important to consider your website as a hub for all of your marketing and branding materials. You can highlight all of your products and services through pages and e-commerce tools. You can provide information about your company including how long you have been in business and how it has evolved using content such as text, photos and even video. You can publish detailed information and stories about your staff and your customer’s success stories too. There are many applications available for your website including interactive maps, sophisticated calendar tools, databases of information that can be sorted and searched by any topic you choose, reservation and payment systems, online shopping carts and so much more!
When creating website pages a call to action is vital to enticing visitors to move beyond just reading your content. A call to action might be a way for visitors to contact you, clickable links to download more information or white papers, how to buy products and services, encouraging comments or shares, and enticing visitors to join your email list.
When we design a website at RV Tech Solutions, we also integrate a blog. A blog is a platform for publishing content to a website typically displayed in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first. A blog can offer a comment section for visitors to leave comments and ask questions right on the post. There are two main reasons we use a blog within your website that are equally important:
- Blogs are read and indexed exceptionally well by search engines including Google, Bing, Yahoo and others. The average user can add important information for search engines such a key words, titles and tags to each blog post you publish. By using your blog to publish new and relevant information on a consistent basis, search engines rank or promote your website as well.
- A blog can also be a very effective tool for adding new, relevant and important information that will keep readers returning to your website to solve their problems, answer their questions and purchase products or services they need. Your website blog is a marketing tool which allows you to keep your brand in front of your current and potential clients on a consistent basis.
Another great feature of your blog is offering social sharing tools. These tools or buttons allow your readers to make your content go viral and be seen by their followers and friends. Social sharing tools include the Like button for Facebook, Tweet button for Twitter, Plus One button for Google Plus, Pin It button for Pinterest, LinkedIn button and more. Once a visitor clicks on a social sharing button on your blog post, their friends and followers potentially see and click on a link to the blog post on your website.
The next step is to leverage the content you have created on your blog across multiple channels including email marketing, social networking sites, and traditional advertising mediums. You can even use newspaper ads and radio spots to direct people back to your website to learn more about an article you posted on the blog.
How are you using your blog as a marketing tool?
