If you think of your website as a marketing tool then I am afraid it is already doomed to fail!
I was thinking the other day about client's I have had where the website has failed. When I say failed, I mean it has not provided a return on investment within the first 12-18 months. In some cases the client does not even recognise this failure and this is the problem I am going to discuss.
Websites are primarily seen as a marketing tool. Who is to blame for this? Marketing people! Not that we can totally blame them, because they have seen the opportunity to up-sell their services by applying them to websites - and in the early days this was fine.
A website is no longer a marketing toolIn fact I would argue marketing is no longer a marketing tool - but that is a topic for another day :)
The fundamental flaw lies in the fact marketing is all about promoting to the masses in the hope you will reach someone who is ready to buy. It is all outbound: leaflets, banners, PR, advertising, exhibitions, networking.
This is NOT how the internet works and if you apply this strategy to your website it will FAIL!
People use the internet to recommend, share, review, research, subscribe, download, listen and watch. If they want a particular product they will seek it out and buy it. If you're a shop, you use marketing to get people in the door. Your website has already brought them into the shop, they have the product they want and they are looking to buy it now.
Marketing is about attracting potential customers who may buy, possible some point in the future. Your website SHOULD be attracting visitors who are READY TO BUY NOW!
Andrew Larkin (Director)