If you wish your business to grow then it is vital you use marketing tools to reach out to more potential clients. Your competitors are using marketing tools, some more than others, but almost certainly not as good as you could be, given the right amount of thought and knowledge. Your main marketing tool, your main focus, at least to start with, is your website.

Conventional adverting is (nearly) dead. Potential clients look for you online first, not, in the main, by looking at a leaflet or newspaper advert. It could be argued that if an elderly customer could potentially find you from a leaflet, he or she would statistically have access to a smartphone to look up more details, to compare, to look at your competitor’s offerings.

Say you are a construction company, or any tradesperson looking for a brilliant website, you have 2 options: 1, You can try to build it yourself, but would that time be better spent improving your business in ways that you know? or quoting for work? Either it will take you a hell of a lot of time or be sub-standard; or, 2: You enlist a professional.

Companies in the trade are no exception and owning an expertly designed website is a vital tool in your online toolbox. It is the first place your clients go, the first place they go to see any meaningful information at least. The key to success is to have your customer land and see immediately the thing they landed for and how to get in contact, with the least amount of time and hassle. Your website is by far the best marketing tool you will ever own. It will be the hub of your online presence. It must be perfectly written, perfectly styled and contain information in a perfectly conceived layout.

Who you instruct to handle any aspect your web presence (i.e. your website, social media footprint, adverts, links and rankings etc) should look at your business as a whole and demonstrate an understanding of your business. Overwise, be prepared to be caught up in a whirlwind of maybes and guesswork and be prepared to pick up the tab for this.

Questions like: Do they know my market?

Do they understand my business?

Can they demonstrate success if my field?

Should all be asked before you go any further.

If a potential online partner (because that’s what they will become) gets past the first stage then they should provide you with a DETAILED REPORT of the proposed campaign, with clear timescales of work. It is important to note that in our experience, it is definitely the case that certain online platforms work better than others, depending on specific business details. Look out for stuff that you know, from your own business knowledge, is wrong. It is vital that you check that the proposal fits exactly with your business now, and where you want it to be in the future. If this report does not reflect your budget, size of the business, or your potential for handling more business or does not contain an understanding of your business then this is the wrong partner for you.

Ideally, an online partner could offer practical business advice, if required, as this often comes hand in hand with online advice. This is especially useful if you are just starting out and are having trouble with one more aspect of your business. It is especially more useful if your web partner knows your industry. It might be a suggestion to promote a different aspect of your business than you are currently not promoting, in order to lead to quoting for another service you provide. It could be something as simple as how to handle the types of enquires you are currently getting, based on the source of the enquiry or the service that was promoted. Different sources of inbound enquiries could require a different approach. You also might need CRM advice if you are not using one already. Even if you are it cannot hurt to allow your online partner to check over this, to ensure you are following best practices and to make sure everything is linked up nicely.

An often overlooked aspect of the customer journey with small to medium traders is the customer journey. How does this connect with your business? An example of this is simply putting an email address on your website. Would an enquiry form be a better option? If so, what does the autoresponder look like? Does it offer more information, for the correct service? Does it connect with your CRM? Your online partner should be considering this.

Your marketing tools have quickly become more important than the tools in your own tool bag. You can replace a power driver but to undo a badly done web presence is not so easy. Constant monitoring, checking and evolving is required. Detailed knowledge of your competitors is so important nowadays too if you are serious about success.

The fundamental point is that all aspects must be considered right from the start. We have 100’s of examples where the first brick laid is off, leading to a very off-centre overall feel, leading to fewer enquiries, incompatible leads and fewer sales. To find a good online partner start by looking at examples of previous work and look for results. Ask if you can contact current clients, then, when ready, contact Webgrafter. We will be happy to offer free, impartial advice.