When tackling that big and exciting new website project, a very common mistake for marketing teams is seeing a web design project as separate from the rest of their marketing efforts.
Maybe it’s because it’s assigned to one part of the team, or maybe it’s seen as a standalone marketing piece, similar to a new brochure or marketing campaign.
This is a missed opportunity, because websites are a critical, keystone piece in your overall marketing plan.
Your website is an extension of your business, whether you’re selling online or promoting a physical storefront or service. Don’t separate it from the rest of your marketing tactics!
Here, we’re sharing some of our favorite ways for making sure your next web design project aligns perfectly with your overall marketing strategy.
Start with a Plan
You know how it goes: the most successful projects start with a well-laid plan. This is especially true when designing a new website.
Start by asking and discussing the big picture, strategic marketing questions. If you and your team can’t answer them, take the time to research and find the answers!
For example, you should be able to clearly answer:
- Who is our target audience?
- What do we want them to know about us?
- How can our product/service/information improve their lives?
- What action do we want them to take on the website before they leave?
Incorporate Your Brand’s Look and Feel
For your loyal customers, the look and feel of your website should be instantly recognizable. If you have a physical storefront, your website should be the digital version of that. Incorporate your brand colors and fonts.
Develop and use your brand voice too. Dependent on your brand, that could be anywhere from funny and conversational to formal and educational.
Your website should carry the same theme as your social media feeds, printed materials, and email blasts. Again, think big picture strategy across all of your channels.
Add a Lead Magnet for Email Marketing
Whether you sell a product on your website or not, you want to collect emails from your website visitors.
Building an email list should be one of the top priorities for your website. An email list belongs to your company and is a valuable marketing asset.
It allows you to reach out to your potential customers when you want, with captivating emails that draw them back to your website for special offers and new product launches.
A lead magnet is something you offer your website visitors for free in return for their email address. Since most people are hesitant to give out their email address to companies, you have to make sure your lead magnet has undeniable value.
It’s not enough to promise a newsletter anymore. People need to receive a freebie, a promise of exclusive event invitations, or a valuable template that will improve their work or lives.
Use Keywords from Your Google Ads
You’ll want to write your new website copy with target search keywords in mind, so don’t even start writing until you have a list of these.
If you run Google Ads, you already have a list of keywords to run with. Ask your team’s digital ads specialist for this list.
If you don’t run Google Ads, one of the best ways to approach this task is to put yourself in your target customer’s shoes. Imagine what they might enter into Google search that should bring them to your website. Make a list of these keywords.
Then, do your best to weave these keywords throughout your website copy. Just make sure you do this in a way that reads naturally. You don’t want to cram all those keywords into one sentence, so it looks like a robot wrote it (unless that just happens to be your brand voice).
Hire an Agency to Help
If the thought of doing this all on your own sounds daunting, an outside marketing agency can help you tackle all the steps.
From the start, a good agency will ask you questions about your target customer and goals, carry out needed research when needed, and outline a website plan that delivers on your marketing dreams.
That’s something we just happen to do here at Linea. *wink wink*
