A website is your online business card. It’s what customers see first when they look for your services. Trends are constantly shifting based on what customers want to see.

How do you know if your website in on-trend? Take a look at some of the most popular design elements for small business sites:

From Flat to 3-D (Again)

• Gradients, drop shadows, video, motion graphics, scrolling effects, etc., bring new life to a website.
• Add realism and depth to graphics, bridging the gap between the digital and the real world.

 Video Home Page Headers

• Videos replace standard sliding images to convey a message and grab visitors’ attention quickly.
• Videos can run on auto-play, or be prompted to play, and text could be added over the video for further description.

Large, Attention-Getting Text

• Large, eye-catching text has become front and center, with much smaller subtext as needed to direct users to additional information/actions.
• Pair a video background with bold or large text to get the attention of visitors instantly.

Large “Hero” Images

• Hero images are the main banners placed on a website*, on the home page and inner pages.
• High quality, relevant images are key for this design.

 Responsive Design

• Responsive websites are sites that are functional on any screen—no pinching and pulling required.
• Non-responsive sites turn off users, and get penalized by search engines for not being user-friendly.

Micro-Interactions

• Micro-interactions are touches which surprise and/or encourage users in an area of the website.
• Notifications, text pop-ups or a button turning another color, etc., can help foster engagement.

Great Written Content

• Quality content should focus on storytelling and communicating effectively with your audience.
• Promote knowledge, products and services while implementing SEO** keyword research into your text.

Website pages should be accurate, easy to read, and full of calls-to-action to draw readers into the next step of your marketing/sales funnel.

 

**SEO (Search Engine Optimization):  methods used to increase traffic to a website by increasing its search engine page rank (techopedia.com).

Source:  OpenVine.com, reported by Kelly Thomas Mango; *omniconvert.com

Customer engagement – attracting and influencing customers — is earned through trust and over time.  There are three layers to effectively nurture prospects into customers: 

Emotion:  Customers need to feel something for your brand and trust your proposition.
Rationale:  Lock in commitment and ensure that what you’re offering makes logical sense.
Ethics:  Communicate your brand virtues.

Following are the best tactics to conquer all three layers:

1. EMOTION:  Trust-building — Inspire emotions to engage customers:

Tell, don’t sell.

• Use storytelling to activate desires.

Put your social proof to use.

• Shout about your endorsements:  ratings, reviews and testimonials.

Personalize your message.

• Seventy-four percent of marketers say personalization increases engagement.

2. RATIONALE:  Commitment-building — Align your proposition as a solution to an existing want, need, or problem:

Position your product to meet a need or desire.

• Content should paint a picture of where customers will be after their purchase.

Use data to segment your audiences.

• Use preferences and behaviors to customize content:  91% of consumers are more likely to purchase brands that provide recommendations and 83% are willing to share their data.

Leverage different channels.

• Use multiple media channels to ensure consistent communication throughout the buying cycle.

3. ETHICS: Promotion-building — Putting ethics before profit inspires:  66% of consumers spend more money with ethical businesses: 

Make a commitment – and stick to it.

• Showing that you’re making a difference earns consumer trust and confirms your reputation.

Make customers feel your dedication after they’ve purchased.

• Inform customers of your local commitment.

Make it about more than the transaction.

• Convey your community involvement; customers are appreciative if their purchase helps others. 

Customer engagement is achieving the right balance of compassionate and rational marketing.  Authentic narrative inspires prospects to become customers.

Source:  dotdigital.com, reported by Chris Cano; jasmconsulting.com

Marketing remains essential for businesses in order to successfully compete, sell products/services and become profitable and grow.  Following are effective marketing best practices.

 Set Attainable Goals

• Determine your position in the market and decide what you want to achieve.
• Keep your goals realistic, making them something you will be able to accomplish.

Establish Brand Identity and Target Market

• Brand Identity: Communicate what your business does with the right name, logo, colors, imagery.
• Target Market: Consider the age, gender, interests, location, etc. of your target customer.

Maintain a Website

• Nearly two-thirds of small businesses rely on websites to connect with customers.
• In this digital era, websites are the window to virtually any type of business.

Combine Online and Offline Strategies

• Combine online channels such as blogs, social media, etc., with offline marketing practices.
• Be mindful of SEO (Search Engine Optimization¹): incorporate relevant keywords into websites/online portals to rank higher on search engines.

Use Google Tools                                                                                                                

• List your product/service on Google My Business² to gain search visibility, customer insights and display useful information to help customers find you.
• Prepare for a Google Ad Words³ campaign by setting a budget, finding the right keywords and creating landing pages that bear significance.

Don’t Discount Email Marketing

• Every new subscriber to your email list is a potential paying customer.
• Sixty-six percent of emails are opened on mobile devices; use mobile responsive templates that automatically adapt emails to mobile formats.

Prioritize Content Marketing

• Eighteen percent of marketers said content marketing had the greatest impact on their business.
• Create and share quality, unique content through webinars, blogs, social media posts, etc.

Join Local Business Groups / Solicit Customer Reviews

• Network and showcase your business and meet like-minded people to share stories/goals by joining local groups.
• Ask your customers for a review: feedback is a powerful tool for small business owners;

“The key to setting achievable marketing goals is to spend time evaluating your current position.” — Shanelle Mullin, Director of Marketing-Onboardly

¹SEO:  methods used to increase traffic to a website by increasing its search engine page rank (techopedia.com).
²Google My Business: a tool to manage your online presence across Google.
³Google Ads: an online advertising program (support.google.com).
Source:  smallbiztrends.com, reported by Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead