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A powerful homepage content development framework to drive B2B growth | B2B Marketing

Throughout the year high street store managers do their best to attract attention for their retail space by spicing up the window dressing. The emphasis is, of course, on tempting customers in so they part with their hard earned cash. As a B2B company, probably operating largely online, the marketing opportunity and dynamic is different for you.

Your storefront is your content marketing content, your Google Ads, your banners, and everything else that brings potential businesses to your brand website. You then have a second layer storefront, in the form of your homepage and landing pages. A lot has to go right to attract and convert visitors. After investing so much in your marketing (window dressing) to get people in, it is vital that you convert visitors into customers; and if possible repeat customers.

Your homepage should highlight how your business is in pole position to give the visiting business what they want. Doing this means having an accurate understanding of your audience and the kind of message that will appeal to them.

This piece takes a look at a content development framework that you can use when crafting your homepage content; it’s a way to think about the message as you plan your copy. If you get your message right your business will be a big step closer to success; if you get it wrong you are unlikely to make more than a few chance sales.


Focus on the value proposition

Companies with highly effective homepages do not focus on what they do, or what they sell. They focus on communicating

WHY

they do it.  Tell your customers why your business exists in a way that they can relate to. In B2B sales this is even more crucial than when marketing to personal consumers.

Selling online and building a brand involves telling a story, and that always starts with the why.

If you are selling “blue widgets” then explain why you chose to sell them? What was the reason for your business coming into existence?

In a world where it is rare to be selling a product or service that dozens of other websites can’t also offer you need to hook your visitors straight away.


Highlight what makes your business different from the rest and build trust

After telling your visitor why you are providing the solutions you offer, the next step is to tell them

HOW

you achieve it. In doing so you have to help your site visitors to see what they stand to gain by embracing your business. Illustrations and videos can really help here. More and more businesses are using explainer videos to explain their how.

Brendan Wilde at

Umbrellar.nz

offers a word of warning. “When using graphics ensure they are properly optimised. Your graphics should not impact on your website speed, or you may end up having great homepage copy that no one reads. A page that takes more than 4 seconds to load is a no-no in most sectors.”

When illustrating how your business achieves the solutions offered, demonstrate how you have helped past customers. Testimonials and case studies are incredibly powerful.

A good question to think about is: How is it that you can offer your customers a better price/product/experience than anyone else? Then tell them!


Highlight what you do

The next stage of your homepage content should highlight

WHAT

you do. If you did a good job with the first two steps, you will have your visitor hooked by this point. This is the perfect time to talk about your specific products and services.

It is important to prevent paralysis by analysis and to just present the highlights.

You don’t need to talk about specs here, unless the sector demands it. The best home pages create a user experience containing the vital information.  Illustrate your solution with minimal copy but provide links for people that want to know more about specific products. If people are sold on your business, and your navigation is friendly, then they will invest time to find out about your products or services.


Go back to the top

All great front page content goes back to the

WHY

again towards the end of the content. This ensures that attention returns to the customer. Revisit the value provided by your business and let customers know the steps you want them to take at this point, through direct call-to-actions.

By following this content framework you ensure that your visitors are provided with the why the how and the what. Your business will make sense to them and they will feel comfortable on your site. They can find out ‘the who’ from your prominent about us page.

My next article will build on this framework by looking at the language you should use, and the psychological techniques you adopt at each stage of your content development process to dramatically increase your conversion rates.

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