Sidestep Website Pitfalls – Part 4

February 27th, 2009

by Tina Hutzelman

If you missed the last post in this series, please see Part 3 which addresses Narcissistic sites,those that are tedious to read, and one-hit wonders.

Pitfall #8 – Your Site Is Not Relational

B-2-B selling has changed radically. Not long ago, sales reps would drop by “to check in” or “because they were in the area.” With instant credit, online purchasing, and overnight delivery, companies can now serve customers well beyond their local reach. As a result, “drop by” selling becomes less feasible.

So how do companies foster the relationships sales people used to develop? Many look to their websites. Some companies even think of their website as a virtual sales person.

With the right planning, your website can be a critical element in building those all-important company/customer relationships.

In the same way salespeople let customers experience your company’s personality, so too should your website. Consider issues such as your corporate culture as you develop graphics and text. Enable dialogue through on-line offerings such as e-zines, blogs or customer feedback surveys.

And if you do nothing else, clearly show how to contact a real person during normal business hours. Too many corporate sites only allow for email contact.

Bottom line—do what it takes to make the online relationship as important as if a sales person were standing in the customer’s lobby.

Pitfall #9 – Your Site Lacks a Clear Call to Action

You can develop an aesthetically pleasing site with eloquently written copy yet overlook a vitally important component—a compelling, focused call to action. Many corporate websites provide pages of information yet leave visitors wondering how their specific needs will be met or what to do next if their interest is piqued.

Incorporating an effective call to action is as much about navigation as it is about copy. It’s about leading visitors through your site and answering questions like:

  • What are the benefits of doing business with you vs other?
  • Why should they buy sooner rather than later?
  • How can they obtain more information?
  • How can they buy from you?

Calls to action should be clear and focused. If you don’t let people know what to do next, they’ll likely do nothing. Also, if you give them too many options, they’ll likely do nothing.

Pitfall #10 – Your Site is Not Part of Your Overall Marketing Plan

One study indicated 93.4% of its respondents would use the Internet to research a B-to-B purchase. With numbers like this, it’s vital that your website be part of your overall marketing campaign.

When all of the elements of a campaign are working together, they support the same goals and communicate the same message—albeit in different forms.

With this cohesive approach, you’ll be able to leverage the cumulative power of repeated exposures and consistent messaging.

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This entry was posted on Friday, February 27th, 2009 at 9:28 am and is filed under Website Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

38 Responses to “Sidestep Website Pitfalls – Part 4”


  1. November 5th, 2009 at 10:53 am

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    [Reply]


  10. January 19th, 2010 at 6:35 pm

    Interesting, never thought of it like that

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  11. January 20th, 2010 at 6:23 pm

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    [Reply]


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    [Reply]


  13. January 23rd, 2010 at 10:20 pm

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    [Reply]


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  17. January 27th, 2010 at 12:37 am

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    [Reply]


  18. January 27th, 2010 at 9:28 am

    Hello. This is kind of an “unconventional” question , but have other visitors asked you how get the menu bar to look like you’ve got it? I also have a blog and am really looking to alter around the theme, however am scared to death to mess with it for fear of the search engines punishing me. I am very new to all of this …so i am just not positive exactly how to try to to it all yet. I’ll just keep working on it one day at a time Thanks for any help you can offer here.

    [Reply]

    Tina Hutzelman Reply:
    January 27th, 2010 at 10:35 am

    If you want to customize a theme, you need to be familiar with html coding so you can make necessary changes. There are many good articles online as well as books on the subject. Hope this points you in the right direction.

    [Reply]


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    [Reply]


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    Hello.. I want to subscribe to your blog but I cannot find your rss link, please help. Thanks. – Jen

    [Reply]

    Tina Hutzelman Reply:
    February 3rd, 2010 at 10:34 am

    Select any post that you want to read. Look at the small text under the tags at the bottom of the screen. Click on “RSS 2.0″

    Thanks for asking. If you need anything else, just let us know.

    [Reply]


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    [Reply]

    Tina Hutzelman Reply:
    February 3rd, 2010 at 10:37 am

    Thank you for your comment. I researched the issue with Chrome and here is a link to what I found – http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Chrome/thread?tid=7d46fd6508f388ce&hl=en

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