From my experience, many of our larger B2B customers view their site as a customer portal for relevant data and are not overly concerned with anything beyond that functionality. During this past recession, our company has shifted a lot of our resources to web development and understanding how to make it an effective marketing tool for our customers. Without getting too technical, my top 10 suggestions for a more marketing orientated B2B website are as follows:

1.  Give your web some personality.
   Many companies put website development in the hands of their IT department. Although they certainly play a big role, there should be a second set of eyes directing your look and message to the marketplace.
2. Take a message first approach.
   Don’t keep what you do best a secret. Make sure your value proposition is front and center. Narrow your focus and increase overall results by speaking specifically to your 80% strength and customer target.
3. Use an effective combination of Flash and HTML text in your web layout. Too much of one or the other can leave the viewer either frustrated with download time or bored from lack of effective design and text heavy layouts. A “picture is worth a thousand words” applies to websites too.
4. Optimize your site.
   Having a site without SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is like having a hot dog without the bun. Proper SEO can dramatically change your presence on the web through increased rankings.
5. Keep your news or blog category current.
   Having original news and/or blog content will increase rankings and customer interest, while copying others verbatim and having out of date entries can work against you. The more you update your site, the more reasons search engines such as Google will have a reason to visit.
6. Attention to detail is important.
   Use quality photos and well written and proofed text. Make sure your logo and tagline are reproduced consistently and correctly throughout your site and please avoid extended “under construction” postings.
7. Make your site customer centric.
   Make it easy to navigate. Tell your message quickly and concisely. Have applicable customer log-in portals front and center. For new visitors, the majority are looking for contact info so make it easy to find.
8. Benchmark your activity before and after.
   Use Google Analytics to better understand traffic demographics. Review regularly and make changes to your site based on the data received. Set targets to better capture your viewers’ attention and increase frequency and lengths of visits in the future.
9. Use a combination of push and pull strategies to increase your web presence.
   Don’t wait for business to land in your lap. Push out your information. Promote your website to customers and prospects.
10. Use one capable marketing provider. Your results will be more cohesive, cost effective and less demanding on your time. Taking a “too many cooks” approach (within your company and by using multiple vendors) could result in poor overall delivery and lack of consistency with your branding efforts.

 Lee’s quote for the day,
“To catch the big fish, your marketing needs to have the right hook, line and thinkers.”

I’ve only been blogging for a couple of months now but I’ve seen the benefits and I’m definitely a believer. Because we track everything we do, we can directly attribute a significant increase in our web rankings on Google to our blog efforts. Jerry, who manages our Web, IT and SEO and Robin who heads up our Promotional Services are also frequent bloggers on our site.

From my perspective, there is no shortage of marketing related topics to write about. I find it somewhat therapeutic as a matter of fact and enjoy putting my digital pen to paper as a regular part of my weekly ritual. At this point, we haven’t seen direct comments in response to our blogs but they are being read and shared. As we gain more experience in this venue and with time, we hope our efforts will be helpful to others and that eventually we’ll get more interaction and collaboration on the various subject areas posted.

This past 4-day week we had two sales leads that materialized as a direct result of our web marketing. One where we weren’t the right solution (company was looking for canned newsletter content) and one that was right up our alley and turned into an appointment. Not all that significant maybe, except that 1 branding/web appointment for us can turn into 20-50,000 dollars of immediate work and a customer for life.

In the B2B environment, I believe getting your web ranking higher organically is (at a minimum) like having another full time sales person on the road and at a fraction (3%) of the cost. Similar to adding a new sales person it takes time to see the results. In this past economy it can be 6-9 months before you see the benefit…but there are soft benefits in the meantime. Now more than ever, the purchasers of your services are forming opinions of your organization based on your presence on the web. Your message needs to be clear; your look professional and when someone searches, ending up on the first page in your category doesn’t hurt.

Like a song or a painting, there are an infinite number of approaches you can take to create your company website. Continuing the comparison, there are karaoke and paint by number methodologies that you should steer clear of. Why? We believe your web  (now more than ever) is the front line of your marketing and should have a personality and message that truly depicts who your company is today and why customers should pick you over your competition.

The more recognized the brand the more you can concentrate on information and functionality. In our case, building sites for the B2B world, our customers are well known but in smaller circles. With an emerging  change of the guard in decision makers (younger, more educated, more  internet savvy and increasingly more female) we feel injecting some clear messaging and marketing spin is a critical ingredient.

Within our transportation niche, customers put online management tools and real time visibility ahead of everything else. They feel the need to compete with big integrators like FedEx and UPS and many put their website on hold for years until this functionality is in place. As much as these online tools are now a necessary part of doing business, I think this is a mistake. Here is why…

First. Your website makes an impression on several  markets. Existing customers, potential customers, existing and prospective employees, partnership opportunities and possible strategic alliances. Your web development approach can address all these elements now while your back end functionality is being developed. When they are ready to marry up, we’ll arrange the wedding and your IT department can take a well deserved honeymoon. The “front end” can work for you immediately and needs to be developed independently anyway….why wait?

Second. Your customers could use FedEX or UPS now. Why don’t they? In the same way you can’t offer the same level of online functionality (they have 30,000 people in their respective IT departments)they cannot offer the same level of customization and personalized service that smaller companies excel at. That’s the slingshot that can bring the giant down. Keep it loaded.

Third. Your customers ‘ requirements are as unique as a top ten song or a Picasso.  There is a reason you exist. Recognize that uniqueness and speak to it. With the help of a well developed site and the latest search engine marketing you can pull customers in that need your brand of service. It’s not immediate, it may take 6-9 months to see results…but it’s time well spent.