There once was a time when you would create a website, make it live and walk away. Although it was your business card for the world, it was often little more than a way for people to find you.
Oh, how times have changed. With business professionals spending more and more time online, your website needs to be an extension of your company. Often this is the first impression your clients or customers have, with many deciding if they are going to move forward based on this impression.
Just like your business, and you as a person, are constantly changing and evolving, so should your website.
And this is why a mere eight months after launching How to Communications, my digital product website, I gave it a complete overall. Why? Because when I entered the world of digital marketing, I knew little about online client attraction, moving people from curious to buying and how to make a personal connection with potential customers.
But what I did know is that everything is an experiment. It was better to create a website, make it live, testing and refining it versus trying to make it perfect on my own.
And boy did I learn a lot over those eight months. I learned my website was too corporate, too formal and lacked my (quirky) personality. Who I thought was my ideal client, wasn’t actually who was visiting the site (which was confirmed through various Facebook and Instagram ad campaigns).
Five Simple Steps
It was time for a change in a few (not so) simple steps.
#1 – Get new photos
I found a photographer who was able to capture the true me. The photos brought a fresh energy to the website, and let people see the person behind the brand. This is key, because people want to know who they are buying from and make a personal connection, especially if they will never meet you in person.
#2 – Test copy to see what resonates
This was done through Facebook ads. My marketing guru tested different photos (from step one) and copy. What worked best? Being serious, funny, short and concise or a bit more storytelling? After a bit of research, we fine-tuned the copy for the revised website based on these findings.
#3 – Less is more
Originally, digital products on How to Communicationscould be purchased individually or through monthly, yearly or lifetime memberships. With over 10 training videos and 13 templates, I was drowning potential clients in information. This meant they were too overwhelmed to buy.
So, we stripped the site back to a lifetime membership– meaning one fee, one time, with unlimited access. And we also removed many of the navigation tabs on the top of the home page, so people didn’t get lost going from page to page.
#4 – Social proof
While I know I have lots of experience and my templates and training videos are amazing, I needed other people to say this too. I reached out to clients and got testimonials, with their smiling faces so site visitors can see the real people I have helped.
#5 – Launch and continue testing
Now that the new site is live, I will launch another Facebook advertising campaign to see how this site engages and connects with potential clients. We will compare these results to previous campaigns, and go from there.
What this means for you
I’m sharing this story not to frighten or overwhelm you, but to give insight into the evolution of a website. And to remind you that just as we and our businesses evolve, so too should our website.
Think of it this way. Would you wear the same outfit or have the same hairdo for 10 years and think it’s still current? How have you or your business grown or evolved over the last three, five and 10 years? Or are you still in a time rut?
I encourage you to take a look at your website with fresh eyes.
If you were a potential client, and engaging with your business for the first time, is your website a true reflection of your current cultural, personality or products offered? Would it inspire you to learn more? Pick up the phone or stop by? And, most importantly, does it speak to your ideal client or is it generic and connects with no one?