Print Article for : Website Content Management Tool

Your Online Guide » Ideas for Marketing » Guide To Marketing

[W229]Website Content Management Tool

by Scharlene Redway, Sch

The content you choose to add to your website can determine many things, for instance whether your visiting guests or existing customers will choose to return, make a purchase, reprint your articles for use in their ezines, be compelled to participate in your online communities or seek out your expert advice.

Useful content that is geared to attract your target market gets visitors to your site, engages them, builds credibility, and converts them into buyers. Surveys indicate that 80 percent of visitors go to web sites to get information, so it is important to add new content to your site on a consistent basis, and make sure that information is also up to date. Only 5 percent of visitors are interested in graphics, so keep your site banners, clipart, flash animations and such to a limit.

What type of content should I be using you ask?

Compelling content that will keep your visitors returning. That can include how-to articles, on going contests, tips, links to useful resources, regular website discounts and freebies. For example, a Virtual Assistant can offer 1 hour of Free consulting services and basic database management tips. A Business Coach can offer free business plan templates, an accountant can offer a discount on services and a WAHM site can offer tips on keeping your home office organized and separate from your personal life.

To encourage purchases from your website you should also include:

- Your Contact information IE Phone, e-mail, physical address, hours of operation
- Company information. IE a brief description of what your business is all about
- Product information, the benefits of your products and services and how to purchase them. It is good to have customer testimonials listed on your site as well
- A compelling, benefit-oriented sales letter. Works best if located on your main page
- A special discount to new customers whenever possible
- A call to action so visitors have only two choices, to leave or make that purchase.
- Tools necessary for customers to make a purchase via your website
- And if possible include an opt-in newsletter that enables you to collect your customers information so that you may keep in touch with them and inform them of your new products or services.

Appeal to your target market

- Provide information, products or services that are valuable and useful, to your target market.
- Feature content relevant to the topic of your site. Let all of your information flow and compliment one another IE Banners, articles, topic of the day, products
- Use a website survey to find out what your visitors and prospective buyers want.
- Add instant messenger or live chat your site or start a forum to interact with your customers and guests
- Submit your site with Google Adwords and encourage visitors to your website

Where do you locate content for your site?

- Utilize information you receive from newsletters, articles that you write personally, use topics of interest to you from other forums
- Join income generating affiliate programs and add their products to your site (rotate products according to your sites content)
- Go to free content sites providing archives of articles you can publish on your web site.

Most people will come to your web site numerous times before they will make a purchase. Provide valuable content and update your site regularly to give prospects compelling reasons to return and invite them to bookmark your site. The more often they return, it is likely they'll buy your products and services, once they have either built a relationship with you or found you to be a credible source of information.

However, the idea of how to create a website that's different from the rest is not necessarily something that you can just learn or that you can just ?do.' You need help in order to figure out what your voice is and how to develop content that celebrates it.

Your voice is not just the way that you speak out loud, but also the way that you present yourself in print. For example, some writers have a conversational tone that allows you to feel like you're sitting and talking with them rather than reading what they have written. Others have a more aggressive tone that creates tension when you read it.

Try to determine what kind of business you want to be perceived as, and then try to come up with your ideal voice that would suit that purpose. Do you want to be seen as relaxed or informative? Do you want to have humor or create a more formal tone?

While you can also change your tone for different parts of your website, it's good to know what the overall impression is that you want to leave with your customers and readers.

If you're already developing the content for your website, you might already have found a voice that you like and are using. However, if you're afraid that you might not be the best writer for the job, how do you have someone else write in your voice?

What you'll want to do is look for copywriters or ghostwriters that have portfolios to share. By looking through what they've already written, you will be able to see if it's something that you enjoy and could see your site using.

In talking with the writer, try to convey the kinds of things that you see for your website before you hire them to write for you so that you can see if your relationship will be a good fit. Ask for sample work!

As they are writing for your site, try to check in to see what kinds of pieces they are writing and if they're on the right track. By giving good feedback on their writing, you will start to develop content that works with their skills, but your voice ? and that's exactly what you want to do.

In the end, you need to establish yourself as different from everyone else on the internet. Finding your voice is one of the best ways to communicate in a warm, personal tone with your visitor. Developing a voice can lead to more trust, more business and ultimately more sales.

Article Source : microsoft marketing mix

About Author

Both Scharlene Redway & Lynn Vandyke are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Scharlene Redway has sinced written about articles on various topics from Marketing. . Scharlene Redway's top article generates over 880 views. to your Favourites.

Lynn Vandyke has sinced written about articles on various topics from Personal Desktop, Fitness and Health. is an Internet business consultant that offers flexible plans for your web business. You can use her services and write your own content, or you can hire her. Lynn Vandyke's top article generates over 18100 views. to your Favourites.