What Does Your Online Presence Say About Your B2B Brand?

What does your digital presence say about your business?

Just having a website or being active on social media won’t necessarily make customers want to engage with you. Today, it’s simply not enough to just have a website or an online presence. It has to be a great website, one that your customers and potential customers will want to engage with. One that has immediately useful value. Online users are now savvier than ever. The average user takes seconds to decide if they will explore your site or move on. So how do you make them want to know more about your business, and the unique products and services you offer?

Several years ago we came up with a simple formula that still resonates today – we call it the “C.A.R.E.” treatment because it gets to the heart of precisely what you need to captivate your customers – an emotional connection and relationship with the user. “C.A.R.E.” is an acronym for the four essential elements that are the hallmarks of any great website. Without these in place, your website will never deliver as well as it should. C.A.R.E. stands for:

• Compelling Story
• Appealing Design
• Relationship-Focused
• Easy-to-Use

Here’s a quick rundown of why these elements are so important:

Compelling Story

This is your first and best way to capture the user’s attention. You know what their pain points and problems are, now you need to show them how you can deliver the solutions they need. But it’s essential to do it in a way that is straightforward without being overwhelming, sales-y or going for shock value. Be direct, explain what skills and knowledge you bring to solve their problem, and show what differentiates you from your competition. Most of all, paint a picture designed to show the user how satisfied they will feel when they work with you.

Appealing Design

Great design can only come from great designers. Clutter is out – a pared-down approach with clean lines and minimal copy works best. Thought should be given to color schemes and design that appropriately represents your brand image. And it goes without saying your website must be optimized for laptop or desktop and mobile (the majority of users will be using mobile).

Relationship-Focused

Your website offers many ways for you to build trust and confidence with current and future clients. There should be a call to action on every page. Think creatively about this, not every page needs to scream “Call Us Now!” One common way to build trust and engagement is to share tips, tools, or case studies of exemplary work. You need to share some of the secrets behind your brand to get your audience interested, such as offering users the opportunity to click a link to download information they want and need. It makes them feel they are part of your inner circle.

Easy-to-Use

Above all, make it easy for users to find you. Once they reach your site, make sure they can easily find the information they need. Users get frustrated easily, and if your navigation is confusing, you will lose them instantly.

Could your online presence benefit from an upgrade? If you have a WordPress site that needs a refresh, we can often build on the foundation, or retrofit content, rather than starting from scratch.

For a free evaluation of your current site, simply fill out the form below, and we’ll be in touch to schedule a 30-minute website makeover assessment:

About The Author

We specialize in b2b, supporting the clients who are the "The Brands Behind the Brands." These are the supply chain partners of brands, either in Tier 1 or Tier 2 positions, who drive value through the delivery of goods, services and technologies. We enjoy blogging about all things related to Branding, Marketing, Inbound, Tradeshows, etc... And we're always happy to talk about any ideas you may have that might Get You To Your NEXT!