Marketing Profs

You would think that everyone in business would be able to tell you what they do and why you should be doing business with them; unfortunately, the sad truth is many business executives can't. In fact, one of the biggest problems in designing Web sites has always been getting appropriate raw material that can be turned into meaningful presentations: A handful of badly written brochures and a few out-of-date photographs are not going to make much of an impression.

And now that the Web has involved into a sophisticated communication platform, able to deliver audio and video content, the problem has become even worse. Web sites need to not only deliver appropriate copy and image content but also present audio dialog and video performances that demonstrate how products and services improve the business or personal lives of Web site visitors.

But if organizations don't know or can't express their own marketing story, or are unwilling to allow their multimedia advisor to develop that story for them, their Web sites will never become integral to their success.

At the heart of the problem is fear—of making a definitive statement, declaring loud and clear what you do, and why anyone should care. And it's no longer good enough to apply technical solutions to marketing problems: You are not going to engage your audience with SEO, XML, CSS, or PHP.

You must have a story to tell and you can't be afraid to tell it as boldly as you can.

Do you know who you are and what you really do?

Businesses that know who they are and what they do can go on to deliver their message, knowing well that some people are just not going to buy into what the business has to say, but those that do get it, really get it, are potential clients. As far as the others are concerned, well, there's lots of business for everybody, and nobody is going to get it all.

You can't be afraid to lose a customer you never had in the first place.

Are you doing all you can to attract business?

There are many methods that can be employed to drive appropriate traffic to your site: search engine optimization is only one. Have you written and published articles and advice on what you do? Have you created a blog or a MySpace page to create a community of interest? Have you issued press releases on new developments and product releases? If you're relying solely on search engine optimization as a substitute for marketing, you are not doing everything you can to attract new business.

Even if your search engine tactics are attracting large numbers of visitors to your site, what is your conversion rate, how long are people staying on your site, and do you have enough compelling content to get them to come back?