There are four things you USE a website for:
Advertising
Marketing
Promotion
Sales
But a lot of people forget WHY they have a website.
Understanding the WHY will help you to make better decisions about your overall Internet marketing strategy and planning, how and where you invest your dollars, and setting the appropriate expectations when it comes to results.
The four reasons WHY:
Reach Potential New Customers (Unknown)
Reach Potential New Customers (Known)
New Customers (Closed Deals)
Previous Customers (Repeat Business)
#1 Potential New Customers (Unknown to You)
These are brides and grooms who you’ve never talked to before and who had never heard of you before they found your website. They probably found out about you through a search engine if you have good search engine positioning and a well optimized website. That makes sense because 80% of the people who log-on to the Internet do so specifically searching for something.
This is very high-quality traffic and traffic you do not want to ignore.
Maybe they found out about your website “word-of-mouth” online at Twitter, Facebook, via your email newsletter that was forwarded to them from a friend, a CitySearch review, Google local search, an online wedding directory, from your own blog that they found during a search, a bride’s blog who hired you last year and mentioned your website, a link from the Chamber of Commerce where you are a member, or maybe an online bulletin board where brides trade advice and links to their favorite websites.
If you are effectively integrating your offline marketing with your online marketing, maybe they picked up your postcard at a local coffee shop, saw your website address on one of your company vehicles, or saw your ad in a Sunday church bulletin.
#2 Potential New Customers (Known to You)
While not a new customer – just yet, these are brides and grooms who you’ve probably talked to or in some way, shape or form, communicated with already.
Maybe you gave them your brochure or business card at a bridal show? Maybe you met them in a hotel lobby where you were working and you gave them your business card and 30-second “elevator pitch.”
Maybe they made an inquiry through your website – and you followed up with a “thank you” email with links to your frequently asked questions page, testimonials page, and of course, your blog.
Don’t make the mistake of assuming a bride who visited your website saw and read all these pages.
Who cares if she did, anyway?
Getting a bride/groom back to your website (or blog) should NEVER be a bad thing.
It also is a proven technique to improve conversion.
These potential-new-customers-known-to-you are brides and grooms who are going to “check you out” and use your website as their primary means of doing that.
Once they do, assuming they like what they see and you have effectively communicated value and unique value proposition, they are going to make a decision to move forward with you or find someone else.
FYI: amateur websites, do-it-yourself templates, or an outdated three-year-old website will kill the deal at this point.
#3 New Customers
New customers also have to be considered when it comes to the WHY.
Yes, even if a bride and groom has decided to hire you, YES you’ve closed the deal and they have even given you an initial deposit, or bought a wedding dress from you, or hired your wedding limousine for the day, they WILL revisit your website.
I guarantee it.
And here’s why…
This is the “did I make the right choice?” psychology of sales or also known as “buyer’s remorse.”
Consumers often want to justify their purchasing decisions and going back to your website is one way they can, and will, do this.
This is one reason you might use a “Tell a Friend” application at your website as well as a link to this option in your email signature!
#4 Previous Customers
Some customers you should have for years.
If you’re a photographer they’ll need pictures of their kids. If you’re a caterer there will be baby showers, if you are a minister there are memorial services or even vow renewals.
Even a wedding consultant can offer special event planning – graduations, bar/bat mitzvahs, family reunions, etc. etc.
When you think this way, long-term, you can easily add 20 to 30% or more to your annual sales.
Not everyone is a “one-time” customer and if you approach it that way… too bad.
So existing customers, people who have hired you and used you, are also people who will use your website and as such you should plan appropriately – maybe with a “Customer Appreciation Special.”
If you’re not happy with the results you’re getting from your current website, or the results you’re getting from your Internet marketing, I can help. My clients read like a Who’s Who list of top ranked sites at Google and their websites turn the brides who visit into inquiries, phone calls, and sales. If you want to use the Internet more effectively and BOOK MORE WEDDINGS, drop me a line using the inquiry form below or call me at (866) 652-7791 x701.
I’ll follow-up promptly and look forward to the opportunity to speak with you.
Chris Jaeger
Marketing to Brides Online
