For 22 years, I had the pleasure and honor of writing a monthly article on showrooms for Supply House Times. After 20 years at Supply House Times, my very first editor, John O’Reilly, left and joined a public relations firm that specializes in the plumbing/heating industry, now named Greenhouse Digital + PR. John recently wrote an article that I think applies to all of our members at DPHA entitled “Jumpstart Your 2021 Plans with a New or Updated Website.“ Consider each of the questions below as you determine whether you need to update your website for 2020.
1. Is your website optimized for lead development?
Lead generation is the most important aspect of marketing. Your website can be a key tool in obtaining leads to take to your sales team. A great way to obtain customer contacts is with content offers such as e-books, guides and white papers.
2. Does your website have a “FAQS” page?
Your customers rely on you to solve their technical queries. A frequently asked questions page that is user friendly and offer solutions to common questions and issues is an absolute must-have for building product manufacturers.
3. Are you using your website as an online product catalog?
A lot of building product websites are optimized for a beauty contest as opposed to what their audience is really looking for: answers to their questions and a clear path to specifying and/or purchasing the products they need.
4. Are you using your blog page for inbound marketing?
Your blog page is a great way to generate leads. You can use your blog as a portal to other content offers with a call to action or even a pop-up such as “Download the Complete Guide.“
5. Is your website mobile friendly?
Put yourself in your audience's shoes. You’re on the jobsite and you’re trying to troubleshoot, what do you do? You use your cell phone to google the solution. A mobile friendly website plays a big role in your Google ranking and SEO score. Make sure your brand shows up for those “on the job“ searches.
6. Are you thinking about your audience?
Does each audience (architects, designers, contractors, engineers, homeowners and showrooms if you’re a manufacturer) have a page geared toward their interests and pain points? Most brands are aware that their audiences have unique pain points in product features that get their attention.
7. Is your website easy to navigate?
Ever visited a website and felt overwhelmed because you’re not getting the information you need in a fast, efficient way? Don’t let your brand fall under that category.
8. Does your website feature videos, case studies, how-to installation videos, product demos, and customer testimonials?
A key strategy right now would be to focus less on selling and more on building campaigns to drive awareness. Your site should focus on educating customers and demonstrating how you can solve their problems. How? With content marketing. Content marketing is one of the most effective methods of growing audience engagement, developing your brand presence and driving sales. If you’re not currently investing in search ads, now is a great time to focus on your content marketing strategy to drive organic traffic and nurture leads through the buyer's journey.
These are great questions...and reasons why you need to take a hard look at your current website and digital marketing.
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