Achieving success with digital marketing begins and ends with a strong strategy. Anyone attempting to improve their business using online tools will profit greatly from having a step-by-step design to help lead them every step of the way. Willy-nilly wandering into the digital world can cost you time, money, and leave you wondering why you started in the first place. Let’s do our best to avoid that.

Here at Spynr, we call our strategy for online success the WASH Cycle. WASH is a simple acronym that stands for Website, Audience, Search and Social, and How Did We Do? Over the next few posts, I’m going to help break down these components and show you why each of these elements are important, as well as give you some practical advice for your online efforts. To start things off, we’ll talk W – your Website!

Master of Your Domain

Your website is the epicenter of everything you do online. It’s a sales platform, billboard, storefront, and brand ambassador all rolled into one place. Few things have the power to make or break you like your site, so it pays to start here when considering your online strategy.

It's More than a Paintjob

It’s tempting when thinking of your site to begin with aesthetic. You want your site to accurately represent you after all, so it should have your logo, well-written descriptions, and match the look and feel of your physical location. All of that is good, but there's so much more to consider! Don’t get me wrong, aesthetic is certainly important – but there are some fundamentals that supersede the look and feel that need your attention first.

Integrate a Journey

The key thing to remember is that your site is a sales funnel above all else, and you should design it with that in mind. Your goal is to find curious visitors and turn them into customers. Along that journey, they become leads, are met with calls to action, and are nurtured over time to use your services. Your site is the platform that makes all of that possible.

Provide Immediate Value

To make the sales journey happen, you need to bring visitors to your site with a purpose. Your goal should always be to guide newcomers to your website to specific pages on your site called landing pages. This is where you can offer immediate value in exchange for their contact information or a sale. Simple touches like a 10% off coupon, a free ebook, or a BOGO deal can draw people in and let you start building a relationship with them. Just make sure to follow up quickly whenever someone trusts you with their information!

Side note: You also want to make sure there’s as few obstacles as possible to your new visitors getting what you’re promising them. If they have to click through multiple pages and fill in too much information, they’ll likely just leave your site and never come back.

Build a Relationship

Once you have your new lead’s contact information, you’ll be able to continue sending promotions, newsletters, and other relationship building tools to them on a regular basis. As the conversation progresses, you can work on getting to know the needs of your new leads, and then come up with creative solutions to their pain points. When all is said and done, you’ll have pushed your visitors from the top of your sales funnel to the bottom - and won a new customer.

Optimizing your Website is just the beginning of the WASH strategy, but it’s a crucial first step to finding new customers online. Take some time to audit your site and see if it’s truly working for you. If it’s not, consider implementing the tips you see here – and let us know how much it helps!

Explore the second phase of the WASH Methodology: Audience!