Whether you know it or not, your website tells a story. How you share the story of your brand impacts whether or not you convert visitors into customers. Your brand story has 5 essential elements. Thinking carefully about each of the following to ensure that your website clearly communicates the story you want to share will help differentiate you from your competition.
Many business owners tend to focus their website on what they do which is a logical approach. But people buy from other people, and your ability to connect on a personal level will have a profound influence on whether visitors become actual customers. Whether or not your visitors connect with your brand on a personal level will have more impact on their buying decision than all of the information in the world about your products or services.
When sharing what your company does, you must be crystal clear about the products and services you provide. In addition, your homepage needs to clearly communicate how your products and services benefit your customers. After someone learns what you do, they should know how working with you will improve their life or solve their problems and want to learn more.
We live in more of a purpose-driven world than ever before. People have more options than ever before and they aren’t only buying what you do – they’re buying why you do it. The “why” in your story can be one of the biggest differentiators between your business and your competitors. To attract today’s consumer, you need to communicate why working with you will make people feel good about their choice.
People aren’t only interested in what you do and why you do it – they also want to know how you do it. Your ability to articulate the method in which you do what you do will make you look both confident and experienced – which builds your reputation. Sharing how you provide services and products to actual customers can establish trust and credibility between yourself and the reader. Photos and videos are an effective way to illustrate the how part of your story.
Your potential customers want to know you have actually helped solve a customer’s problem or provided a desired product. They need to hear what you did, why you did it, and how you did it. Actual customer success stories are the best way to share how your business can solve real problems. Customer testimonials and online reviews are an essential component of this. In addition, a section on your website which shares a specific customer story from start to finish is a great way to demonstrate to visitors why they should work with you. When telling this story, start by sharing the problem the customer was facing when they came to you; then explain what you did for them and why. Finally, discuss the benefits the customer enjoys that he or she has worked with you. This allows your potential customers to see themselves as the satisfied customer in your story, and will hopefully give them the confidence to contact you for a product or service.
So now that you know what to look for, take a critical look at your website. Are you clearly communicating the story of your company and why people should do business with you rather than your competitors? If not, Kalamazoo SEO for Growth can help you develop a website that clearly and effectively communicates with your website visitors.