In
the same way that a builder’s own extension is the last to be finished, so too
was our website the last to be reviewed and declared UNFIT FOR PURPOSE!
We
want to share some of the key considerations that lead us through the review
and on to the new site. To create this: www.aspiruswords.com
we considered this - QUESTIONS:
When you last closed
the office door and took your phone off the hook to read your website (what do you mean
you don’t review it?) did it say the
right thing, in the right way, in the right order, to be clear to an audience
you’d be pleased to do business with, so they can action the right levels of
contact?
Let’s
consider those key points again:
Does your website say
the right thing;
We
all spend time reviewing and refining the corporate message – from a succinct
elevator pitch, to finely tuned correspondence, e-mail marketing, advertising,
corporate literature and blogs. But is the message on your website still singing
from the same hymn sheet?
In the right way;
‘It’s
not what you say but how you say it.’ When we physically make a face to face
presentation we know that tone, style, posture are as if not more important
than the content. In the same way, tone and structure can add enormous power to
the words you say on screen. Line breaks, paragraph lengths, column widths,
font, colourways and … punctuation. Is your message written in such a way that
the viewer will be able to actually read it.
In the right order;
This
is crucial to a website and there are two sides to this coin. Imagine yourself
standing by the podium about to present your business, services and ethos to a
room full of prospects. You start with a sensible summary of what’s to come, then
move logically through the process from one theme to the next, ending with a
closing summary and chance for the floor to ask questions. So, that’s the home
page, service development ‘chapters’ and contact call-to-action. 
The
flip side is that we do not know which page the viewer will start at, or where
they will go next. Because of this, each page must have its own start, middle
and end with a clear, single-proposition opportunity to act and make contact.
To be clear to an
audience you’d be pleased to do business with;
It‘s
really very simple. Your web copy, structure, content and style should be built
with your audience profile, needs and authority in mind – as should any
corporate message and language.
So they can action
the right levels of contact?
For
the viewer to confidently click that all important contact button, the benefits
they’ll gain by doing so must be clear and appropriate. We know what we want
them to do and how, but how do we impart what they will gain and why? What’s in
it for them? Again we need to properly understand our intentions and our
audience needs. If we are just list building then perhaps free gifts,
information and discounts might be appropriate. But if we are talking to senior
decision makers for mutually beneficial corporate benefits then it’s the ‘benefit
to need’ clarity that counts.
This
is the process. Follow it and you won’t go far wrong. Consider the same steps
in the context of all of your communication materials – correspondence, emails,
brochures, newsletters, blogs etc etc and your marketing / CRM / customer
relations will improve enormously. Not only will you know you’ve clarified the
message, but they will understand the
message too.
