In reality, there are only two types of manufacturer websites; ones that cost you money, and two, ones that make you money. So the question is, “Which website do you have?” Circle “yes” or “no” for each statement below. Add up the total number of yeses in each group. The group with the highest number of yeses determines your type of website.
“Costing-you-money-website.”
Yes or No Your site does not generate any real sales or sales leads.
Yes or No Your site does not support or enhance your existing marketing programs.
Yes or No Your site is considered a monthly marketing/IT cost, not an investment.
Yes or No You do not analyze your monthly website traffic.
Yes or No Your site is poorly designed and looks amateurish.
Yes or No Your site is outdated and does not reflect your current business objectives and capabilities.
Yes or No Your site does not have any set marketing or sales objectives to be accomplished.
Yes or No Your site does not have any defined performance metrics used to measure its overall effectiveness.
_____ Total number of Yeses
“Making-you-money-website.”
Yes or No Your site generates qualified, online sales leads.
Yes or No Your site is professionally designed and easy to find information.
Yes or No Your site supports existing marketing programs and campaigns.
Yes or No Your site generates a substantial return on your investment (ROI).
Yes or No Your site is based on specific web marketing/sales objectives that are aligned with your company’s vision and products/services portfolio.
Yes or No Your site is analyzed on a monthly basis to see how well it is meeting or exceeding company sales/marketing objectives.
Yes or No Overall, your site capitalizes on the abundance of online prospective clients actively searching for your company’s products, services, and solutions.
_____ Total number of Yeses
Before You Decide to Market Your Website
Now that you know what type of website you have; there are some considerations to look at before you decide to market it. Just as you would not market a product that is only half finished, the same applies to your website. Websites that have outdated content, amateurish designs, and make it difficult to find information are dramatically reducing their ability to generate highly-qualified prospects. Companies, who continue to market their outdated sites, typically produce about one-half or less of the sales leads they could be generating with a professional, well-written and appropriately marketed website.
Therefore, in able to generate and capitalize on the maximum amounts of online sales and sales lead opportunities, it is vital that you make sure your website is professional looking, easy to navigate, and up-to-date. Remember, your company has only one chance to make a good first impression. The better the impression, the greater the odds the prospect will become a client.
The success of marketing your website is highly dependent upon what you have to market. If your site is outdated and poorly designed, it is not likely that aggressive web marketing strategies and tactics will produce substantial amounts of online sales and sales leads. On the other hand, if your site is professional looking and includes informative and persuasive sales copy, it is likely that web marketing strategies and tactics will yield impressive sales lead results with substantial returns on your investment.
Corey A. Wenger is an expert in driving sales to manufacturing websites. Wenger is owner of Key Position Web Marketing and is a professional Search Engine Optimizer and Internet Marketing Consultant who has many years of experience in helping manufacturing and engineering companies increase sales and profitability through strategic web marketing programs. For additional information about Key Position, please visit www.key-position.com. Mr. Wenger may be contacted by calling (800) 276-7959 or by email at corey@key-position.com.
