In business, success is typically measured in terms of growth. Even building product manufacturers who intentionally keep their enterprises small want to see profits grow year over year.
But what happens when you’ve run out of traditional marketing ideas that have worked in the past?
“When it comes to increasing the profitability of your brand, one of the best avenues is through boosting your digital strategy,” says Beth PopNikolov, CEO of Venveo. “Today, more than ever, your website is your storefront. Customers rely on the safety, efficiency, and ease of online searching, purchasing, and specifying the products needed for their building projects.”
The Corporate Executive Board estimates that about 60% of buying activities are finished before sales is brought in. Forrester estimates that up to 90% of the buying process is completed before a sales rep is even involved. In other words, buyers now do all of their research online before they even contact you.
Taking conscious steps to use your website to boost profitability is easier than you might think. Here’s why you should consider upping your digital marketing game.
Greater Efficiency
It comes as no surprise that the ease of use of a website translates into customer satisfaction. Regardless of the industry, creating a friendly online experience not only speaks to a company’s professionalism, but it can also yield happier customers. When your customers can find the information that they’re looking for online with ease, they are more likely to browse longer, which can drive more product specifications.
“Your website should be easy to navigate and optimized for mobile,” says Beth. “We recommend running tests with Google’s developer tools to test your site loading speed and mobile friendliness. Having a robust, functioning search feature on your site will also help visitors get where the need to go.”
Minimize Customer Pain Points
Customer pain points are specific problems clients’ experience when they interact with a website. The first step to reducing these issues is to identify what customers want and offer a strategy that gives it to them in the easiest and most efficient ways possible, says Beth.
“If it takes too many clicks to find what I’m looking for, I’m just going to go to another website where it’s easy. These friction points can cost you big money in the long run.” She continues, “A few ways to identify problems: Invite prolific customers to share their experiences. Consider adding a live chat function and easy bug reporting to gather customer feedback.”
Better Customer Data
With the changes brought about by the pandemic, capturing contact information from prospects visiting your website has become an even more important strategy for sales and marketing execution. You can also use website traffic data to zero in on what’s important to your target market whether it’s based on top-searched building materials or other lead generation efforts. Beth also offers recommendations for gating content.
“If you’re going to ask for contact information in exchange for content of any kind, keep in mind this rule of thumb: Give more than you get. Meaning, the content you share should be high quality and offer high-impact. And fight the urge to ask for all of your prospects’ information upfront. You’ll get more conversions with fewer form fields, and you can add to that customer contact data through proper outbound nurture campaigns — that of course also offer high-quality content.”
Competitive Edge
In case you didn’t know, your website can be seen as a reflection of your product quality. To give yourself a leg up on the competition and compete with larger brands, you need to offer an online presence that exceeds industry standards. That can include everything from making your products searchable to making sure you have the right content available on demand.
“The ease of use your customers and prospects experience on your website tells them what they should expect from a quality and customer support standpoint when specifying, installing and using your products,” Beth says.
“It’s important to give them quick access to the tools they need to specify or purchase your products. Your customers are looking for 3-part specs, BIM, Revit content and more. If you don’t have this content at all, or it’s difficult to find, you’re risking losing sales.”
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That said, it’s well-worth your time to investigate methods for creating a better digital strategy. When developing and strategizing best website practices, you’re really investing in your brand and building trust. You’re also creating happy clientele who are more likely to keep coming back to your website.
Written By Candace Shackelford