Don’t let your B2B site lose you leads by making these five basic mistakes
There are literally millions of business to business websites out there, but not all of them are as efficient as they could be. The purpose of creating and managing a B2B website is mainly to engage with your audience and turn them from passive viewers into active clients. So, why is it so hard to engage the audience that visits your website?
Firstly, most of the B2B websites don’t respect a set of basic rules that ensure success. They usually focus on the wrong thing, forgetting about the audience. A B2B website is, of course, a way for you to present and advertise your business, but it should be much more than that.
Free Resource: 10 B2B marketing mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes! Over the last 20 years, we have consulted and trained with many B2B businesses which means we’ve seen mishaps made by people at all levels of seniority. But time and time again, when things go wrong, it’s for the exact same reasons. Learn about popular B2B marketing mistakes and, more importantly, what you should do to avoid them, in our free guide.
Access the 10 business-to-business marketing mistakes
If you want to engage the audience that stops by your website, you should pay close attention to our 5 ways to make your B2B website an efficient tool. Here are the main issues you should avoid or fix in order to connect with your audience!
1. You Don’t Tell a Story
This is a key factor for the success of your website and an aspect that is often neglected. You don’t need to throw a ton of figures, facts and statistics at your audience, but you definitely need to tell a story. Not any kind of story, mind you, but an engaging one where the good guy fights and wins the girl in the end.
We all love good stories because that’s how we grew up and developed since childhood. Adults love stories just as much as kids do, and the truth is we actually need stories in our life. Make sure you tell the story of your brand in a friendly, funny and engaging tone and your audience will start reacting to it!
Well, how do you do that? As most business owners are not reputed authors, you need some stellar copy that is both relevant and engaging. You have plenty of options to choose from, but before you hire a great copywriter, you should know what you are looking for when telling your story.
A great example of high-quality copy that maintains a healthy dose of humanity is provided by Zendesk, a company that produces software. Check out their website and you will see what we mean. Their story is clear, fun and engaging, which makes the user feel a positive emotion towards the products they offer, which should be your main goal.
2. You Forgot Who You’re Talking to
Do you know your audience? Are you talking to them or to someone older? Are you really saying what you mean or are you just busy talking about yourself? We all have experienced this situation in real life, people who are too busy to brag about their achievements, they forget about their conversation partner.
Don’t be that person! Your B2B website should not be a platform for bragging, but a source of useful information presented simply and clearly to your audience. Adapt your tone (using great copy), your appearance (using great design) and your products and services to your audience.
Never forget who you are talking to! As you know, most of the B2B websites we surf every day look more like a boring presentation than an engaging invitation to dialogue. This is one of the reasons that sites fail to engage the audience.
3. Not Enough Opt-In Features
A big no-no is neglecting to include opt-in offers or e-mails. Opt-in features are a great marketing tool that will make your audience stay connected and active. Make sure you include opt-in features that visitors can easily sign up to, as it will help your business along the way.
Opt-in offers have the advantage of targeting your audience because recipients request to be sent promotional information about your products or services. This is a simple marketing technique that will get your audience engaged and make them actively involved in the development of your business.
A successful B2B website must include a special section or banner dedicated to opt-in features that your visitors can easily access and sign up to.
Remember that the fact that the choice of signing up is theirs means that this segment of your audience really cares about the services you provide and wants to be kept up to date with your activity. This is the most important aspect you should focus on if you are hesitant to invest in opt-in features.
4. Not Mobile Optimized
How often do you surf the internet on your phone? According to researchers, 51% of American internet users surf the web on their mobile device, and only 42% use a traditional desktop. The statistics are clear, the world is rapidly moving towards mobile, and you should too.
A non-mobile optimized B2B website will lose a lot of visitors who access the Internet on the commute or late at night before going to sleep. These key moments when we are either bored or ready to call it the day are especially useful for e-commerce and social media. Statistics show that in these time frames users are more willing to act, either to make a purchase or get engaged with the content they see.
It’s vital to understand your audience’s search behavior and there are plenty of digital marketing tools you should look into. Google offers two features that will help you understand how, where and from what device your audience reaches you. You should use Google Keyword Planner, as well as Google Webmaster Tools Integration, and you will discover the patterns that emerge within your audience.
5. Content! Content! Content!
This might not come as a great surprise to many people, but poor content will drive your audience away in no time. An efficient B2B website should be easy to read and follow. Your audience should quickly find the information they are trying to discover, so make it easy for them to do so.
There are vital details you should provide while making sure that they are clearly visible for even the first-time visitors. These are the main sections your website should include in order to get more engagement from the audience. Even if this is not rocket science, you’d be surprised to discover how many B2B websites neglect to provide this indispensable information.
- Contact details – It goes without saying that your audience should get instant access to your contact details, so make sure this section is clearly visible and easy to reach. This applies to all websites, but especially to those dedicated to e-commerce and online marketing.
- About Us Section – This is the section where you tell your audience the most engaging success story they have ever heard, which means you should make it memorable. Here are a few examples of outstanding About Us Sections that will show you how it’s done! Look through them to find the inspiration for your own website, but remember that your audience needs to hear your voice, and not someone else’s, so stay original.
- Opt-In Offer Banner – Make it bold, make it clear and make it fun! These are the main ingredients to the recipe of a great opt-in offer that will get your audience engaged and active. Allow them to decide what categories they are interested in and create opt-in offers for all your main sections or products if you want to have a successful B2B website.
- Friendly Blog – Don’t post on your blog just for the sake of it! Create friendly, relevant and high-quality content and invite your audience to take part in your journey by including a comments section on your blog. Users like to express their opinions and a great review in the comments will turn undecided visitors into buyers, especially if they feel that the review comes from a genuinely happy client.
If great design is the king of a successful B2B website, content is the queen. Don’t neglect content and ensure that you deliver the necessary information in an appealing format that is easy to browse through. Your audience will surely thank you for saving them the time of browsing through tons of useless data they don’t care about.
An audience that is engaged and active is more likely to choose you over your competition, so avoid these 5 common mistakes when setting up your B2B website. Focus on telling your story in an honest and human way, avoid business gibberish that doesn’t mean anything and concentrate on your audience. Get to know them and then write, design and create for them!
Include plenty of opt-in features and keep your audience informed about your activity. Update your website and make sure you take advantage of all the marketing tools at your disposal to get your audience engaged. Don’t forget about mobile optimization as it is crucial to the success of your business.
Last but not least, content! Make sure you stay fresh, relevant, and friendly and your audience will notice you among your competition. If you provide them with an experience, they will return again and again. Your audience will become your main supporter and partner if you manage to make them care about the product or services you offer. A lot of B2B websites fail to engage their visitors, and you should strive to not be one of them.
Stay fresh and relevant and don’t forget to speak the language of your audience. Avoid these 5 ways B2B websites fail to engage the audience, and you are all set for a successful path ahead!
Thanks to Mike Jones for sharing their advice and opinions in this post.Mike is a Boston University graduate, with an MS in Mass Communication. He is now a full-time writer, passionate about everything related to business and career development. He sometimes writes for CustomerSurveyReport.