Dana on Marketing Messages: 7 Guidelines for Better Websites

As promised in my last column, this one focuses on your Website. Printers need to accept that your Website is the first place an interested person will visit when hearing or seeing your company's name. When I get to your URL, I expect to find out exactly what you do, what products and services you can offer me, and why I should consider you and not your competitors. All in under 90 seconds.

Although I am starting to see some great printers' sites out there, too many are still dated. They feature pictures of equipment and pressrooms. They lack strong content. They're full of trite promises ("We bend over backwards to deliver!" "We make your print sing!"). They haven't been touched for months, even years. Everything seems dusty. Frankly, they look sad.

So, I'd like to share with you my list of seven significant improvements for a printer's Website. These suggestions will impress your prospects, who have more to gain from your site than existing customers do.

Originally I planned to share a list of do's and don'ts, but why focus on the negatives? Instead, here are my ideas for making your site positively better.

1| Your Website should be organic. At the rate at which information is changing today (by the second), your site must be fluid and constantly updated. Sections of the site might never change—like the page describing the history of your firm. Other than that, the content needs tending like a garden. One easy solution is to incorporate plug-ins that integrate your social media activity with your Website. So, even if you don't touch a single word or image on your Website, your posts on Twitter, for example, can appear on your home page. If you have a blog hosted elsewhere, you can also add a plug-in for that.

2| Your Website should be built with a content management system (CMS). Years ago I gave up having a strictly HTML Website. Why? Simple: I don't know HTML coding. As the site's owner, I want control over content changes, and I need to make changes frequently—sometimes in the evenings. My former site designer used HTML. Every change I wanted had to be sent to him in an e-mail. He'd make the change and send an e-mail for my review. I'd call or e-mail him with corrections. On and on it went. It was frustrating and took forever. Now, my site's built on a WordPress template. This means that I can make 90 percent of my own site edits. Yes, it took some training, but once I got the hang of it, I loved it. If you're committed to having an organic site, ditch the HTML and find a good CMS.

3| Your Website should be social. Being active in social media tells me a printer is contemporary and not stuck in the past. I look for a few chiclets: for Twitter, Facebook, maybe YouTube and LinkedIn. These belong on every page, like your copyright line. You don't have to be everywhere in social media, but you should be active in a couple of them, especially if your target market hangs out there (and if your competitors already are). When I see evidence of social media, I think to myself, "This printer gets it."

4| Your Website should be visually spectacular. You're in the visual communications business, right? Your site needs to reflect this with high-quality images and exciting color. A good site designer will know how to create an impact using your logo, corporate colors, great typefaces, photos and a gallery of samples, if you showcase them. Printers are in the marketing business, and their sites need to reflect this. I'm looking at a local printer's site that looks like a ransom note: too many typefaces on the home page and, overall, a very clumsy design. It gets worse: when I click on an internal page, the design is TOTALLY different. From page to page, the body copy has different typefaces and point sizes.

5| Your Website should be professional. From the design to the content development, your site is your primary online presence. This means you have about a minute to make a great impression. No typos, no bad links, no funky navigation issues, no legibility issues. Potential print customers are finicky, and generally they're excellent proofreaders. Don't cut corners on your site. It needn't be deep, but whatever content you have should be well-written and refreshing.

6| Your Website should be chock-full of resources. Your site needs to be rich with content that's interesting to prospects and makes a memorable impression. In addition to the basic must haves (company info, people page, equipment list, capabilities, newsroom page, contact page), there's a body of content you now need. This includes educational information in any or all of these forms: blogs, newsletters, social media posts, helpful tips, case studies, white papers, glossaries and videos. All of these examples help make your site rich with information, which is not promotional, by the way. You do not need them all, but you need enough informational content that showcases your expertise and addresses any possible concerns or knowledge gaps of prospects.

7| Your Website should be engaging. Engagement is key on one's Website. It's give and take, not just "give." I like to see buttons on a printer's Website inviting comments to a blog or an article, perhaps on an FAQ page. Having an online estimating form seems like a no-brainer for printers; please make sure the average (newer) print customer can understand the form. Most printers' sites have sections for FTP uploads already. Frankly, I would prepare for the day on which much, if not all, of your prospecting and even your customer interaction will take place online or over the phone. For now, this means getting your site in shape to accommodate visitor questions and comments. Certainly, I'd like to see a form that collects key contact information from visitors, too. This can easily be done on your Contact page, if nowhere else.

If you remember nothing else about this list of seven suggestions, please remember this: Don't neglect your Website. It's no longer just an online shingle you had to put up so people could find you. It has become the cornerstone of printers' online presence; a major marketing tool that requires dedicated attention.

Now, go click on your company's home page. Does it accurately reflect your strengths and make it clear what you offer? Will it entice a first-time visitor—perhaps an ideal prospect—to linger? PI

About the Author

Long regarded as a print buyer expert and trade writer, Margie Dana launched her new business in 2013 as a marketing communications strategist with a specialty in printing and print buying. She's as comfortable working in social media as she is in traditional media, and now she's on a mission to help clients build customer communities through carefully crafted content. You may know her as the producer of the annual Print & Media Conference. Although she's exited the event business, Dana is still publishing her popular Print Tips newsletter each week. For details on her services and to sign up for her newsletter and marketing blog, visit www.margiedana.com.