You have a website. It’s well designed and you’ve started promoting it to drive new business. But, whether it’s not getting enough traffic yet, or the people who do visit aren’t engaging with what you’ve published, there’s something missing.
Content is more than just a list of services and contact channels. It’s a powerful resource that can speak to the needs and desires of your target audience. It is the front line in your efforts to attract and build relationships with people who will one day turn into your next batch of customers.
For this reason, it’s important to cover all your bases. Here are five types of content that will help you do just that.
Clear Descriptions of Your Products and Services
Writing about what you do isn’t always easy. I’ve spoken with several manufacturers and IT companies that would prefer a list of capabilities and contact numbers over a detailed writeup of what they do. After all, why would someone be on the site if they didn’t know what they needed?
There are a few reasons why this is important. Good product and service descriptions offer:
- A clear representation of what you do with specific language that showcases expertise.
- Shows the search engines what your website is about and what you would like to rank for.
- Supplemental materials for people who dolike to read rather than skim.
And it doesn’t have to be boring. Static, corporate style copy is easy, but it’s not always engaging and it’s sure as heck exhausting to write. Spice it up with clever design and an infusion of visual representations of what you do.
Detailed Presentation of You and Your Team
Almost every website has an About page, but most of these pages are glorified mission statements, pulled directly from your marketing plan or operating agreement. A couple sentences summarizing when you started and what you do, with a few awards and certifications thrown in for credibility.
This is all good, but you should a few steps further. Include things like:
- Names of photos of your senior management team.
- Introductions to your staff with fun facts about each of them.
- A video tour of your office or production space to show people who you really are.
This kind of additional information serves two purposes. It makes you and your team “real” in a way few things are online, and it shows prospective employees what they are considering commitment to. Recruiting is notoriously difficult for high-skill jobs. Get a head start with smarter presentation.
Examples of Your Successes and Relationships
This is another area where many websites have a good start, but can do much more. Testimonial quotes are good, but consider what else you can showcase on your site as social proof. People want to see that you know what you are doing, have experience doing it, and have a stable of happy customers they could talk with if they wanted.
Consider adding the following elements to your site:
- Headshots and titles for each of your existing testimonial quotes to personalize them.
- Detailed case study writeups that go into detail about what you did, and the results achieved.
- Video testimonials summarizing both above in a more personal format.
This type of content can go a long way in building stronger relationships with your prospects, and showcase why people trust and continue to work with you.
Thought Leadership that Answers Key Questions without Selling
A big part of what LeadConnect does is establishing and building thought leadership for our clients. One of the first questions we get is about this very practice. What is thought leadership and what is the potential future ROI? Thought leadership comes in many forms, and when properly researched and presented offers many benefits.
Some of the content you should consider creating includes:
- Long form blog posts that address common questions your sales team receives.
- A peak behind the curtain of what you provide to your customers.
- Personal takes on hot topics and recent industry news from your team’s leaders.
The benefit of doing all this is threefold. First, it shows that you have the expertise you claim. This content can be shared and distributed through expert channels to show this. Second, it attracts new people to your website through organic search on Google, social media shares, and industry-focused sites. Finally, it creates an intangible value in working with your company. As recognized experts, there is a certain credibility conveyed to the customer who choose to work with you.
Enticing Resources with Which to Capture Their Information
The fifth type of content you should consider including on your website is the lead magnet or marketing offer. This is content that goes even deeper than the blog posts, videos, and social media posts addressed in number four above. This can be eBooks, case studies, white papers, video series, or email courses that provide in-depth information about things your customers are asking about.
Some of the ways you can implement this type of content on your site include:
- Creation of a resource library with several documents addressing common questions and concerns.
- Inclusion of a matching lead magnet with every blog post that can be downloaded for additional information.
- Showcase these downloads on your homepage and key product/service pages as examples of thought leadership. They also make good sales supplements.
The key is to make sure your prospects are providing their contact information in exchange for the content they download. With this you can nurture them via email and provide more value, interspersed with your sales messaging.
Leveraging Content to Grow Your Business
With the right approach to content development and presentation on your website, you can build a strong reputation, showcase proof of the work you’ve done in the past, and drive new people to the pages that are most likely to convert them to leads for your sales team. Learn more about how you can get your website marketing ready with the right content in our eBook:
