Why Your Website Needs To Be More Than Just An Online Brochure

In the world of today, customers have the power. The online world has made customers more informed and knowledgeable, meaning businesses cannot use marketing in the same way they could fifty years ago. Businesses have to meet customer demands not only for their products but the way they market themselves.

Consumers have also come to expect a certain level of quality from a business’ website. It is no longer sufficient for a business to simply advertise themselves and their products and services on their website. Here are a few reasons why your website needs to be more than just an online brochure.

Customers Are Looking For Solutions

To put it simply, the chances of a potential customer searching for your business and the products you provide are very slim. Unless a customer already knows the product they want, they are most likely going to be searching the internet for a solution to a problem they may have. Even if they already know what they want, that doesn’t mean your website will be the first they see, if they see it at all. If your website only tells users about your business and the products or services you offer, you aren’t giving them solutions.

Consumers are more likely going to buy goods from a business whose website actually offers solutions to their problems with relevant and compelling content rather than just talking about themselves. This could be a huge loss to your business as you will be losing potential customers to your competitors, regardless of whether the price or quality of your products are better than your competitors. If you want to create compelling content but don’t have the time to do it yourself, check out this article to see some of the advantages and disadvantages for your business to outsource content.

Customers Want Interaction

In today’s world, people don’t want to hand over their hard earned money to businesses that don’t show any real indication that they actually care about their customers. Ask yourself, is there anything on your website that really helps potential customers to interact with your business? Your website should include:

• A blog (with a comments sections)
• Links to social media
• Contact forms
• CTAs
• A subscription option

As well as having compelling content for potential customers to see, you want them to have plenty of ways to interact with your business. This shows them that you are actually interested in what they think rather than just trying to make a sale. This also gives potential customers a much better understanding of your business. You are likely to lose potential customers if your site doesn’t give them any way to interact with your business.

Potential Customers Don’t Care About Your Businesses

This may sound harsh but a potential customer doesn’t care about your business. If they have never before seen or heard of your business, they won’t feel the need to use your business’ services as they have no loyalty to you. This doesn’t mean they won’t ever feel loyalty to your business, but first, you need to give them a reason to use your products or services.

If your website contains a lot of information about your business, such as an ‘about us’ or ‘our history’ page, potential customers may not even read it. They are most likely not visiting your website to find out more about your business so they probably won’t even look at those pages. As mentioned above, a lot of the visitors your website gets are going to be looking for solutions to their problems. If they don’t find any solutions, they aren’t going to stick around to learn more about you. This is where the customers’ power is really shown; they can simply toss you aside if they don’t get what they want from you. You won’t really make an impression on potential customers with what is essentially an online brochure.

Is It Time Your Website Got An Upgrade?

If you’re not seeing the number of customers you’ve been hoping for, it may be time to rethink your website. While it is important to showcase your products, you must show potential customers that your website is more than just an online brochure. Your website, after all, may be the first chance to make an impression on a potential customer. Get in touch today to find out how we can help you by creating a website that will make a great first impression on visitors. Also, check out this article to see some of the ways you can improve your website for lead generation.