“Your navigation and content need to speak to particular audience groups and address the questions your visitors likely have in mind when they visit – in their words, not yours,” Michael Bird says.
1 Measure and revise.
Though a company’s website is its most measurable marketing tool, many don’t read or understand the data available. “You can measure popular pages, popular routes through your site, what site they came from, what words they used to find you, and those are just the basics,” Bird says. “Your website can be a living focus group, where you test brand messaging and new strategies.”
2 Listen before contributing.
Before jumping into Facebook and Twitter posts, observe social media. “Use reputation monitoring tools to discover what people are saying online about your company, your industry and your competitors,” he says.
3 Integrate offline marketing.
“While we can argue about whether traditional or digital marketing is more important, neither is going away. What should not be in debate is that keeping these channels coordinated is important,” he says.
4 Dedicate resources.
“We see a lot of people start with a bang and then fizzle,” he says. “Keeping your website up to date was daunting enough before the two-way communication channels that are the multiple social media sites emerged – and don’t forget about mobile sites and apps. Whether you hire a firm or employ internal resources, maintaining your digital strategy is an ongoing responsibility, not a one-time project.”