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Sponsored by Goldcast

Events and webinars are the one place where you can have live, authentic conversation and engagement. But once the event is over, those moments are typically forgotten. Repurposing is the name of the game but either something is getting in the way of you doing it or you’re spending a ton of time and money to get it done right. 

That’s why Goldcast is excited to introduce Content Lab. With a click of a button, you can turn your events and webinars into repurposable content, from snackable video clips to in-depth blog posts and outreach emails. Goldcast makes it easy for you to edit your clips as if you’re in a word doc and provides you fun, branded layouts that work great for social.

Check out Goldcast Content Lab to start amplifying your events and webinars.

The Simple Ingredients Every Website Should Have 

(Whether You're a SaaS Company, Small Business, B2C, or Solopreneur)

No matter what industry you are in and what product or service you are selling I think these are the key ingredients you need to have for an effective website.

Writing this with a caveat: in my opinion, most websites become too complex. We lose sight of the purpose and goal of the website (to be your digital storefront) and instead try to make it have every possible bit of information for every potential customer at every stage of the buying process. 

This is particularly challenging with SaaS businesses as they grow. You get websites with an encyclopedia of pages crammed into the top nav. A section for every feature. Each persona. Solutions. Platforms. Integrations. Industries. Customer stories. Initiatives. It just goes nuts. 

I think we really need to simplify websites. Here's how I would simplify the website - starting with the homepage:

1. Headline

You need a headline. This is the instant reaction, the one line that someone can read in a 10 seconds or less as they fly by your site. This should explain who you are and what you do.

2. Sub-headline

You'll need to build off of that headline, because the goal of a headline is not to explain everything but to provide enough copy to get the reader to nod along and say, yes, this is interesting or relevant to me. So the subhead should be some copy that builds on the headline. Explain more. Be specific.

3. Action 

Every website should be built around some type of action. After all it is your digital storefront and ultimately you want someone to do something after visiting. So what's that action? What should visitors do when they come in? Call? Buy now? Learn more? Request a demo? Start a trial? Join the waitlist? Subscribe? Schedule?

4. Proof

You must prove you are good, prove you are the real deal, prove that people have tried your stuff, used your products, and that the food tastes good (or that the software works, the cars are reliable, the advice is helpful, whatever it is). This means...KPI stats from real customers, 2x pipeline, etc.

A mistake I see a lot here...there has to be some finesse to ensure prospects believe the stats, and give customers credit for the elbow grease they put in to drive the results. Language like X customer partnered with us to drive Y outcome. From one week to one day is better than 600% increase because it's believable and clear. 

5. Examples

Beyond proof you need examples. Be specific. Show pictures. Screenshots. Case studies. Demos. Videos. Ungated interactive product tours. People need to build a visual picture of what you offer in their minds before wanting to spend their time and money with you and the best way to do that is to load up your website with real examples.

6. Your Story

A personal touch. People buy from people as you know, so use your story or the founder's story to your advantage if you can. Why did you start this business? Who are you? Why do you exist? What's the story behind the brand?

7. Pricing (not on homepage)

The last few companies I've worked with have hotly debated this topic internally. It comes from a place of fear. Many worry prospects won't request a demo if they see the price. On the flip side, some people don't request a demo if there isn't transparent pricing, because they just assume it's overly expensive.

To Simon's point though...The worst case scenario is a pricing page without pricing...but with a sneaky demo request form instead (one of my aforementioned companies tested this and it flopped).

8. Contact details

And of course, include basic information on how people can contact you - phone number, email list, address, other resources and relevant links in the footer of the site, etc.

Resisting the Pressure 

Ok so now…when is it okay to add a page or section to the website? There’s this tricky tension between company leaders and marketing teams I think. A new feature comes out, and everyone wants a new page. Or you start selling to a new audience.

I think - before adding a page or section ask yourself: 

• If this buyer had a PDF overview, and then they looked at the site, would that be enough? 
• Could they get enough information to convert based on the existing site, assuming we supplement their information in the sales process. 
• If they're coming through a specific channel i.e. cold outbound, ads, landing organically on a specific blog post...can they get the tailored message via that experience, and then convert based on what's on the site? 

We don't have to include info for every prospect, for every stage of the buyer journey on the site. The site needs to get them to the point of speaking with sales (or taking their first step - then everything else can come after).

The tricky thing about this ideal that I’m painting is that - even in a world where websites are way too busy - marketing still gets a lot of pressure from other teams to create pages and add stuff to the site. I’ve even had it happen where people take it personally if I didn’t want to add their idea to the website 😬 

It’s really tough to be the marketing team with strict rules because we’re supposed to be collaborative and positive and love everyone. But in a world where everyone's an armchair marketer and they don't really know marketing...there has to be some structure.

In hindsight I should have created some kind of rubric for deciding what should go on the website, and where it should go. Like -

• What's the goal of adding the content to the site?
• Does it align with the big three goals that marketing is trying to accomplish?
• Is there anything else on the site that aims to accomplish the goal in a similar way?
• Can this be solved with a solution other than a website page?

^ Does anyone have a rubric like this?

Hope you are having a productive week.

- Dave

PS. Are you reading? Reply back and let me know, I love getting replies...

🎧 Podcast #98: The Role of Digital Marketing, B2B Website Mistakes, and How to Grow Your Salary as an Employee (with Tas Bober)

Tas Bober is a B2B digital marketing strategist and previously Director of Digital & Website at Tealium. We cover the role of digital marketing today, mistakes with B2B websites, the role a website should play in the buying process, LinkedIn and organic content, starting a career in digital marketing (and then increasing your salary), and more.

Listen To The Episode Now On Spotify

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