The Internet has entered the daily lives of people and businesses to such an extent that an SME that today ignores it in its marketing strategy goes into battle with one arm! It’s also an area in constant development for 20 years: there are rules, principles and lots of things to know, to do or avoid … and here, as often in the professional field, amateurism can afford expensive.
Why internet? Because a traditional marketing campaign is generally aimed at a local audience (according to the media) while a professional website is a window permanently accessible to the world in addition to being a space for meetings and contacts professionals.
If you are ready to start on the internet, ready to create a professional website, make sure to be well supervised and well advised … you will easily find a web agency in Brussels , Wallonia or Flanders to guide you in this way perilous. But you must also find the agency that listens to you, understands you and manages to visually express the message and spirit of your company …
But the web agency can not do everything for you and there are important questions that you will need to ask yourself before taking the plunge …. We kept 10 of them:
1. WHAT ARE THE GOALS YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?
It is essential to clarify your expectations in order to guide the creation of your website, which will give you benchmarks as the project progresses.
Some examples :
- develop your reputation, be visible on the internet;
- create a database of your products / suppliers / customers;
- Present your products and services
- develop an online sales service ( e-commerce );
- reduce the number of phone calls for information requests;
- develop sales and contacts abroad (multilingual website?);
- etc.
These objectives can be quantified (turnover to be achieved, site use per day / week / month, conversion rate of visitors to buyers, etc.).
2. ANALYSIS OF YOUR COMPETITORS
- Who are they ? Do they already have a presence on the web?
- Look at their sites: What do you like? What do not you like ?
- Not to copy them but to perceive their strengths and exploit their weaknesses!
3. DETERMINE YOUR UVP (UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION)
Concretely, it is a marketing concept developed from the analysis of different campaigns to determine what works and what does not work.
It can be summarized in three points:
- Each advertisement / campaign must make a concrete proposal: not just words, not just products, not blah-blah on products. A message that says: If you buy this product, it will bring you that!
- The proposal must be original, unique! A competitor can not or will not do the same.
- The proposal must be strong enough to reach as many people as possible!
Think about what your UVP could / should be!
To help you, some examples:
- Head & Shoulders shampoos: “Get rid of dandruff. “
- M & M’s: “Bottom in the mouth, not in the hand. “
- Domino’s Pizza: “Get your hot pizza delivered to your door within 30 minutes or less – otherwise it’s free! “
4. CREATE YOUR SITE FROM PEOPLE!
Your site is not only about you! Visitors must find what speaks to them. Define the different visitor profiles that you target and address each group in a language that speaks to them, with topics that challenge them.
For each group, identify their needs, their behavior on the web, their sources of information and communication.
5. WHAT STYLE OF SITE DO YOU WANT?
The “look” of your site must match you. Cool, fun, ultra-professional, classic, ultra-practical, ultra-design … anything is possible. Choose a style based on your goals or target audience. You can also search the internet to see what your competitors’ sites look like and align yourself … or stand out!
