Content Marketing vs. An Online Brochure

You can look at your website as a glorified brochure, but if you do, you’re wasting its potential. It can effectively and actively increase awareness of your practice and draw in potential clients without busting your budget. Even if you don’t want to invest in making your website the King of the Internet, you should update your content and not let it grow stale.

You don’t have a second chance to make a first impression, and that’s often your website. If you’re not emphasizing digital marketing, you’re probably getting clients through referrals, word of mouth, or local advertising. Before prospects call you, they’ll

check out your website. What will they find? How attractive is it? How dated is the content?

What is Website Content?

It’s anything and everything visible and audible on your web pages.

It’s written words, color schemes, animation, graphic designs, videos, podcasts, and photos
Its message should be that you’re trustworthy, knowledgeable, skilled, and available
You shouldn’t have anything on your website contradicting or complicating that message

Good website content shouldn’t be about you or your company. It’s about how you and your firm can meet your clients’ wants and needs. No one will hire you if they don’t trust you and your ability to do the job. That’s what good content marketing is all about.

Your job is to help your clients exploit opportunities, prevent problems, or solve them. Your website content should discuss how and why you do these things in a way that encourages the reader to hire you for the job.

If you want to buy a new car, there’s plenty of information online on just about anything you could drive.

When you’re searching for the right one, you’re probably focused on the benefits of the models, not their features
You may want one that’s sporty, economical, safe, easy to drive, or hauls a lot of cargo
You’re probably not going to spend time breaking down the vehicle into its components to learn about their details (at least not until you’ve seriously interested in a purchase)

Your website should take a similar approach. Focus on your benefits (the good you do for your clients) to get people interested and to a lesser degree, cover your features (education, past jobs, membership in organizations, etc.).

If My Website’s an Online Brochure, Why Should I Update It?

Because even brochures need updating, and it’s easier to update website content. How old are your physical brochures? Updating its content means creating new content, then printing more. Websites aren’t printed, so you’re skipping half the hassle.

You and your company change. Your website should reflect that.

Associates come and go. Someone new to your firm should be introduced to your community, not hidden away
You’ve done well for your clients recently, so you have some great case studies to illustrate that. They show that you’re actively engaged in helping your clients and how they benefit from your work
The area you work in changes. Provide updates, especially if they will generate more work.

Even if you’re not actively trying to reach the top of search rankings, regular blogging is a way to show your knowledge and how you serve your clients. You can exploit them in several ways beyond just posting them on your website.

Depending on the age of your company, you may have hundreds or thousands of email addresses. Leverage your blogs and those addresses to email out monthly newsletters.

They will help keep your firm at the “top of mind” of current and past clients when they need help, or a friend or relative asks for a referral. This is a low-cost way to keep in touch. You’ve created the blogs, and there’s virtually no cost to sending emails.

You need to regularly post on social media to stay relevant. Blogs and other updates are another reason to put quality content in your social media feed.

Is Your Website Content Tired? McDougall Interactive Can Wake It Up

You’ve invested in a website and it’s not a “one and done” proposition. You must update and improve its content to get the biggest bang for your buck. If you have questions or want a more effective website, call us at 877-623-4291 or book a consultation by using our online contact form.