Create a visitor follow-up strategy
The need for follow-up requires rethinking the role of planning, writing, and design
Many firms are frustrated with their websites. They see few, if any, results for the time and money they've invested.
The cause is usually a lack of follow-up. This forces firms to spin their wheels, constantly attracting new website visitors to replace those who visit once-but never return!
Why? Although the firm may be spending tens of thousands of dollars a year on search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising, little thought has been given to consistent visitor follow-up.
Does your marketing strategy remind you of the Adam Sandler film, 50 First Dates? Because of Drew Barrymore's amnesia, every day they had to begin their relationship all over again.
The same is true of your marketing, if you don't have an efficient follow-up strategy! Each day, you're forced to begin relationships with new website visitors, because yesterday's visitors have disappeared and you don't have a way to re-contact them.
Consider an efficient follow-up program that builds lasting relationships starting with the first website visit and continuing for years-hopefully, decades.
Consistency is the key to relationship success. Planning, writing, and design are the tools that make consistency possible.
Planning involves visitor engagement and interaction that begins with the first visit to your website. Planning involves answering questions like:
- What information are your website visitors looking for?
- What incentives can you offer to obtain visitor e-mail addresses and permission to re-contact them?
- How can you keep in constant touch without spending too much time or money?
Planning is most successful when done in-house, rather than delegated to outsiders. Planning must be an ongoing task. Outsiders, however, can help by sharing proven tools and techniques which empower firms to plan on their own
Content is king-but, it's a specific type of king! It's neither creative writing, (i.e., fiction), nor is it copywriting--in the sense of polished direct-marketing letters.
What 's needed is a type of descriptive writing: one that combines elements of both with the efficiency needed to create a consistent stream of marketing messages. All messages have to simultaneously pre-sell your competence and appeal to your prospect's self-interest-while being quickly and easily produced.
Like planning, this type of writing cannot be cost-effectively delegated to outsiders, because it-too-is an on-going requirement for relationship building success. But, again, outsiders can contribute to your success by sharing proven tools, tips, and techniques, like my Content Catalyst.
If content is king, design is queen! Design--i.e. formatting--is necessary to attract attention to your message, and make it as easy to read as possible.
Design also differentiates your message from your competitor's messages. Relationship building involves creating comfort and familiarity through repetition. Design is a key element in building this familiarity, while contributing to efficiency.
Because the need for design is continuous, it, too, cannot be cost-effectively purchased on a continuing basis . But, qualified design resources can teach you time and money-saving techniques, like styles and templates-that permit you to efficiently do a lot of the ongoing design and production in-house or on your own.
At some point, most success-oriented firms make the decision to replace their 50 First Dates marketing strategy with a long term relationship-oriented process.
When they do, they often call me. I'm a $32,000,000 author, marketing coach, designer, and workshop presenter, I have years of experience helping others plan, write, and design their way to success. I can set you up with the tools and a program that gets you moving in the right direction, so you can continue on your own.
E-mail me or call me at 603-742-9673 for more information. Imagine the potential!
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