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How can you find out what your website visitors want from your site?
Ask them of course!
Call your clients - ask them if they've been to your website, what they thought of it, if they have any suggestions, if there is a way you could better leverage it to meet their needs.
Do a survey - If your client base is big send e-mails asking them to take an online survey. Offer an incentive, like the chance to win a prize - or a discount off their next engagement with you. There are plenty of online survey companies that provide simple and easy to use survey tools - such as SurveyMonkey and Zoomerang. In most cases the survey service is free, and if you're lucky enough to get thousands of responses you can expect to pay only a nominal fee.
Goals
Are you fulfilling your marketing or sales goals for the website?
From a business perspective, how realistic are your expectations? Do you think your website will infinitely expand your business, or just generate a few hundred leads over the next two years?
Take the time to assess your resources, your in-house web talent and your commitment to using your website as more than just brochureware. You'll never succeed if you're not realistic.
A good place to start is by looking at your sales and marketing budget and ROI offline. Consider how you can reduce those costs by leveraging the web. For example, if you need leads, and currently you do direct mail and telemarketing, consider targeted online advertising & event marketing to build an opt-in prospect database that you can then do e-mail campaigns to in order to generate leads.
Another example would be if you're doing scheduling and enrollment by mail and over the phone. While there is an upfront investment in the technical tools and interfaces needed to facilitate the same process online, the ROI for the long term is unquestionable. You can stop printing forms, start posting them online (for those who can't let go of paper) and most importantly start communicating via e-mail and encouraging online enrollment through your site. As an added bonus, by driving registrants through your site you're getting the opportunity to brand yourself and provide them with more information about your company - every current student is a potential client or reference!
Strategy
When considering web strategies for the training industry, direction will vary by your niche in the business. Whether your company provides training administration, delivery, content or technology, it's important to take the time to do a little research or enlist outside expertise to discover best practices. And that doesn't mean looking only at other training companies - looking outside of the industry you're in can be one of the most enlightening experiences.
If you're looking to build an opt-in prospect database to generate leads, think about promotional offers and campaigns that will entice visitors with something valuable enough to exchange their personal information for. What content, research and proprietary information do you already have that you can leverage?
If you're selling out of the box courseware at a relatively low price, it's important to optimize your home page as a sales tool and advertising vehicle, and a smart bet to leverage search engine marketing (Google ad words, Yahoo search marketing, etc.) because you can control the cost and get SUPER targeted.
Join me at the Training Industry Inc. Supplier Summit May 6 - 7 in Raleigh, NC.
Here are the details of the session I'll be presenting, currently scheduled for Tuesday, May 6
The 2008 Online Marketing Landscape:
Top Tactics, Hot Topics & How to Optimize Your Website for Success
Part I: 2008 Online Marketing Snapshot: Top Tactics & Hot Topics
Join me for an easy to understand overview of today's online marketing landscape, explained through training industry case studies and examples. Walk away with practical tools and tips to leverage the right mix of online media to achieve your marketing and website goals.
Part II: How to Optimize Your Website for Success: Post Click Marketing
Explore the five elements of an effective website, presented with practical steps you can take to optimize your company website. Learn what it takes to efficiently direct visitors to the information that will move them further along the sales cycle. Learn the importance of analytics and get an overview of key metrics to watch, as well as suggestions for free site tracking software and other resources that drive multi-channel marketing performance.
About the author:
About the Author
Lisa Pelish is editor of Training Growth Innovations. A 15 year marketing veteran, she's worked within the global marketing departments of F500 companies and on the agency side working with businesses ranging from start-ups to large corporations. Lisa is President of Massive Impressions, which offers online marketing consultation and performance based online advertising to companies ranging from mid-size to F1000. www.massiveimpressions.com
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