Over the last three decades, the influence the internet has had on work and society has been nothing short of remarkable. The web is slowly coming to transform what we expect from our media companies, our stores, and it’s even helped us connect better through popular social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and WhatsApp.
Today, the internet has become an interwoven and essential part of all our lives – however, from a business perspective, it has unleashed a world of previously unimaginable sales and marketing channels that simply weren’t possible in the days pre-internet.
The power of the web and social sites to promote your company
In our modern, connected world, clients have come to expect firms to have a strong presence online, covering everything from a corporate showcase or e-commerce site to promotional pages on the most common (and, in some cases, uncommon) social media services. In truth, if your company isn’t taking its online presence seriously, you will undoubtedly be missing out on the huge potential benefits the internet could bring.
Where once clients might have used directory listings like the Yellow Pages or followed up on newspaper adverts, these days it’s estimated around 70% of all consumer journeys start with an online search. Moreover, the web also has considerable other advantages up its sleeve – not least of which is the potential for global penetration into foreign markets and the fact your site can work on your behalf 24/7/365.
The importance of cohesive branding
The importance of building a cohesive marketing and promotions strategy to cover all bases soon becomes apparent once you delve into the wonderful world of internet marketing, social media promotion and building your brand online. To stand any chance of promoting your company successfully, you should take the time to establish a coherent branding strategy that carries through your entire on- and off-line promotions.
The art of branding is far too in-depth and complex to do any justice in trying to outline the key points in this article – but a quick search online will soon give you a better understanding of just how important it is. In essence, successful branding should permeate every level of your company – from the shop-floor right up to the boardroom – and should lend your company a personality and image that your clients (potential and existing) can relate to.
Online marketing 101 – start with a killer website
While it’s true there is now a vast range of channels and techniques open to companies looking to build their online presence; the key starting point will always remain a company’s website. Without a well-designed, easy-to-use, professional website, you’ll stand little chance of projecting your message or building your image.
Sure, there are many other ways you could (and should) look at for your online marketing – but your starting point should always be with your site. From there, all the other parts will slowly start to fall into place.
Tips for building a great website
These days it’s easier and more affordable than ever for companies to get online and promote themselves effectively over the web. With the considerable advances in both programming techniques and technology (particularly through the last decade), having a professional website is now very much within the grasp of all companies, big or small, no matter of budget.
However, while publishing a site online might be easier than ever, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some key points to consider before launching headlong into your web build project.
Whether you’re looking to launch a brand new site or want to brush up existing pages, below are a few tried and tested tips used by the pros when building corporate websites:
DIY or hire a professional: One of the first things you’ll need to work out is whether you’re going to take a DIY approach and build the site yourself or partner with a skilled development firm. Advanced coding techniques like HTML and, in particular, CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) have made the design and build process simpler than ever and have also been responsible for the relatively new trend of website builder systems. These platforms remove the need for coding or design experience by using templated pages and designs. However, while it’s true pretty much anyone can build a site using these services, it’s normally the case that, put side by side, you’ll always be able to tell the difference between a professionally designed site (like a site by ALT Agency) and one that’s been produced using a builder framework. In truth, web designers and developers hone their skills over multiple years and have a much better handle on what works online and what looks good. Bottom line – if you want your site to project the best image possible with a great User Interface (UI) that allows the best User Experience (UX), you would be well advised to set aside a reasonable budget and go with a professional firm.
Decide on a budget: As mentioned above, a dedicated development firm will charge you for their work – but that doesn’t mean a design project needs to cost a fortune. Even established professional firms these days re-use elements of their Content Management Systems (CMS) or build sites using frameworks and templates such as those provided by WordPress. In days gone by, web development was considerably more complex and expensive as most firms approached jobs on an ad hoc basis, building pages, designs and CMS back-end systems from scratch. Thankfully, those times are long gone, and common CMS frameworks make it much quicker and easier for designers and developers to produce great websites at a fraction of the cost. Nonetheless, before approaching a development company, you should at least have a ballpark figure in mind – it’ll make their job much easier and help both of you decide the best route forward.
Think about domain names: The URL you choose could prove crucial to your success or failure online – particularly if you’re planning on starting a mostly online firm like an e-com retail operation. The URL is the address users will type into their browser bar to come to your site – and the one they see first when they do Google searches. As a general rule, you’ll want to go with something short, snappy and memorable – ideally a name that reflects what you do in the fewest number of characters possible. You should also aim to reserve the .com extension if possible and avoid more obscure addresses like .shop, .net, .online, etc.
Find the right host for your needs: Just like a real-world shop needs premises, so your website needs a home online where you can store and serve your text, images, files, etc. Choosing the right web host can have a dramatic impact on both your site’s performance and its ability to be found in search engines – and it may even impact your sales if you’re running an online store (slow-loading pages are the ultimate sin when it comes to shopping online). If you decide to work with a pro, they will likely already have their chosen hosting service and will take the guesswork out of choosing the best hosting service.
Plan, plan, plan: Even working with a professional development firm, the onus still lies squarely with you to decide what content you want to publish online. Sure, a professional firm will be able to guide you and offer pointers, but at the end of the day, no one knows your company and your clients better than you. You’ll make the developers’ job considerably easier if you have at least an outline plan of site sections, headers, text and images – and will end up with better results if you plan ahead. As a starting point, ask yourself what you hope to achieve from being online, then work backward from there.