What Type of Website Does Your B2B Firm Need?
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Transcript of What Type of Website Does Your B2B Firm Need?
What type of Website DoesYour B2B Firm Need?
As much as you admire websites
like Amazon, ESPN or Apple as a user...
...the likelihood is that your B2B firm has an entirely different mission.
So, you’re strategy needs to be tailored to reaching the right audience and motivating them to action.
Whether you’re just starting up or looking to commission a website redesign,
B2B websites can be grouped loosely into three categories:
Brand Story:Paint a compelling picture in prospects’ minds.
1
Number Driven:Lead generation is priority #1.
2
Targeted Microsite:Messaging-oriented, built for a specific
purpose or time period.
3
Common Elements
3All three website types require you to define a core message and combine it with outstanding design to enable your brand to stand out from the clutter.
Within that, though, there are two key components
that are of vital importance to a successful website
design or redesign:
1compelling copywriting: headlines and intros that guide the viewer through a visual hierarchy, leading them to the action youwant them to take.
stunning visuals: photography, video
and illustration/graphics that evoke
certain emotions and/or help the user find the product/service
that they need.
These pieces are essential to developing a sitethat engages and converts the customer.
But there’s an important time factor, too: In light of the Forbes article, “Now is the
time for responsive design,” it’s absolutely paramount that you incorporate responsive
web design into your planning.
Having a website that seamlessly accommodates your users’ needs—whether mobile phones,
tablets, or other devices—isn’t just aboutkeeping your Google rank intact, it’s a matter of
ensuring maximum usability for yourcustomers and potential clients.
On the other hand, a website can’t be all things to all users, and
decisions need to be made about priorities:
Key Differences
A brand-story site may put an emphasis on durable emotional connection, for example—not asking for the sale as immediately or abruptly, but rather wooing the prospect with client case studies or testimonials that allow them to “see” themselves working with you. In essence, it’s a softer sell.
For a number-driven website, you need to put
your Type A hat on and cut to the chase: What
are the key facts and figures that are going to
provoke action, i.e., generate leads?
What are the tech aspects that you’ll
need to have lined up, such as email campaigns,
SEO metrics, etc.?
A microsite will probably incorporate
aspects of both. Although its targeted,
theme-based marketing probably
has more goals in common with the
number-driven methodology, the
method of persuasion may lean toward the
brand-oriented pitch.
This is obviously a simplification of the overall ecosystem of websites. A number-driven site
still needs a brand story, a brand-story site still needs measurable results, and a targeted
microsite needs to incorporate elements of both.
But there is a benefit to defining your end purpose in its
simplest terms from aB2B perspective:
You can always increase the complexity of your website to accomplish your goals, but having a clear mission ensures that it’s always done for a reason.
Click here to read the entire post on the
Briefcase blog
Click here to find out how BCD can help leveragedesign to deliver powerful B2B business results