A Brochureware Website Is Not Enough

You know those pamphlets, sales sheets, and business cards you hand out to prospects in person? They should not be your website. In this day and age, you will be passed over if you try to get away with it. The design and "feel" of your printed marketing materials can certainly influence the design of your web marketing efforts, but there should never be a direct 'Save-As' from tri-fold to website. It should be a law!

A winning web marketing strategy includes more than a static, brochureware website. Take a look around at sites that you buy from, learn from, or socialize on. Are they a letterhead document posted online? Absolutely not! They are focused on several aspects of web marketing including:

1. A method to easily update their website, ON THEIR OWN, without the need to ask a developer - CMS
2. A plan for ranking well in search engines without Pay-Per-Click - SEO
3. A plan for following-up regularly with prospects' permission - Email marketing
4. A way to listen to customers/prospects and share some personality - Social media
5. A plan for ranking in search engines, social media and targeted sites online - PPC
6. A customized experience for prospects that want to engage with them through mobile devices - Mobile/Location
7. A way to measure the effectiveness of their efforts and adjust based on the results - Analytics

That isn't the be all and end all list of web marketing tactics that go into the 'big players' efforts, but it's a solid foundation for any business. Over the coming weeks we'll be sharing some tips and guides for planning a 12 month web marketing strategy. Your strategy should go much further than a static website with no ongoing attention to it.