Avoiding the online brochureware trap

Effective use of the Internet can be the difference between acquiring profitable new business in this downturn and just wasting money on empty design and confusing messages.

Sadly, many businesses and their online images are caught in the online brochureware trap.

In many businesses the way to get a steady stream of customers is to be listed on an established web portal for your industry (e.g. for designers, office service suppliers, etc.).

While this can bring leads to your business with little effort it usually comes with the risk that a portal must reduce the data on listed companies to that which allows direct comparison, e.g. price and basic features.

If your business competes solely on price then this may well work in your favour. If, however, part of your selling proposition is your value-added services, or the relationship that you build with your clients then it will be very difficult to project this through the restricted medium of the web portal.

In these cases it is vital that your website clearly communicates the added value that you offer, allowing any initial leads from a portal, or directly from search engines, to be converted, or brought closer to contacting you or buying.

As an exercise, try writing down what you think is special and valuable about your business proposition and check whether that comes across from the copy on your site. If you value the personal relationship with your clients, then is your website personal? Can you see the faces and read the opinions of the people in your company, and so kickstart that process of relationship building?

Or perhaps you just want to project an image of safety and integrity behind a cool, corporate exterior. If you already have this type of brand, then great. If you don’t, then beware, as this type of site is what is usually delivered by designers looking to sell you a ‘polished and professional website’, who confuse this with delivering anodyne brochureware.

If you need help moving your website from a glossy (or non-glossy) digital brochure to a living, breathing builder of new business for your company, then contact us to see how we can help.