When your prospective customers and clients hear your name, and the name of your products and services, what image and thoughts come to their minds? Are you making a good impression, and is it the impression that you want?
Do You Have a Real Brand?
What are you and your business known for? At what do you truly excel? How do you stand out from the rest of your competitors?
If your clients don't have a firm image of what you and your products and services stand for, then you really must be honest with yourself and ask yourself if you have really done the work that you need to fully establish your brand and reputation?
After all, it takes more than just having a logo and website for your business to build your brand!
Why Does Your Brand Matter - Why Should Clients Choose You?
In the past, many businesses increased their sales simply by having an online presence, but, in today's growing and increasingly competitive environment that is no longer enough. It is no longer enough to invest time and resources into driving traffic to your website, you need a website that increases your conversion rate.
This is why it's important for your website to be designed in such a way as it clearly defines your brand, what you and your services stand for, to your clients. It's up to you to make your brand matter!
Traffic is Meaningless without Conversion - Which is Directly Linked to the Strength of Your Branding!
YouTube videos, email newsletters, posting on your Facebook page and in the various groups, are all great ways to drive traffic to your site, but if your site isn't designed to fully brand your business and get your traffic to convert and take the actions that you want them to take, all of these efforts mean very little in terms of increasing your cash flows or bottom line.
Ideally, your website should be designed to clearly define what you and your services stand for, it should establish your authority in this area of expertise, and it should compel visitors to want to take action on your brand and sign up, buy or otherwise convert on the site. If your website it getting a steady traffic stream, but few conversions, the issue probably lies in the way that you have defined yourself and your brand on your site.
Branding and designing a site that increases conversion rates are areas that many creatives struggle with since the steps that are necessary to take to build your brand and site can be a bit complex as well as time consuming. As discussed in an article earlier this year, outsourcing those tasks that take you away from your core business can help to free up your time to focus on more important aspects of your company and allow others to use their expertise in a specific area to increase your level of success. After all, you do not have unlimited amounts of energy and time, so if you are having difficulty you're your conversion rates and the issue is some difficulty in the way that your brand has been defined, consider outsourcing the redesign and marketing of your site so that it better supports your brand and your vision!
Sophie Andrews is the author of The Creative Collection, Director of the Australian Bookkeepers Association and CEO of The Accounts Studio, a bookkeeping and cash flow consulting agency specializing in working with creatives and entrepreneurs.
Follow Sophie Andrews on Twitter: www.twitter.com/accountsstudio or visit the website www.accountsstudio.com.au