Using the Web to Build Customer Relationships
One of the first things you learn in business marketing and sales it how to develop your “elevator-pitch.” Elevator-pitches serve a great purpose in allowing a quick/instant assessment of someone’s potential interest in your product or service. When someone asks, “What does your company do?” an elevator-pitch (given properly) allows them to learn in 30-60 seconds the information they want to know about your company.
Marketers and business owners seem to forget this fact with the web. They fall into the trap of knowing they can provide as much information as they want (with the only limitation being their web hosting storage space and bandwidth limitations) on their websites. You can’t forget that the prospects visiting your website (all those “visitors” you love looking at in your website analytics software) are actually people. They are people there with a specific purpose in mind, whether that is to get information, make a purchase decision, or simply make contact with the site owner. Your website should function much like your elevator-pitch: it should provide the necessary information quickly, up-front. Don’t bury it in an “About Us” or other page.
There are many ways that social media can be a great marketing channel for your business. However, before you take the leap, it is important to develop a strategy for how you intend to maximize your results. Here are some topics to discuss before starting your social media journey.