Is your Web site a Bentley, or just a hooptie?

Today, we decided to take a cue from the hit show Pimp My Ride, an MTV television series that features old, worn out automobiles that are transformed into flashy, innovative street rods that command attention and awe from everybody on the road. The context of this program can be used to discuss the changing role of corporate Web sites in a B2B environment. There is ample evidence that people in B2B purchasing are using the Web for the initial research and evaluation of their choices.  Additionally, we have seen articles and research about the media’s use of company Web sites for background research prior to interviews.

So much of our collective marketing efforts drive people to our Web sites.  However, what are visitors going to see once they get there? Are they going to see a broken-down, rusted out car on blocks? Or, are they going to see a visually appealing vehicle that draws their attention and exudes credibility? Ideally, if your prospects see a Web site that is more like the latter, they will move one step closer to using your services and the media will see us as credible sources.

Consider a few guiding principles: entertainment, education and engagement – E³ for short.

Entertainment

Our friend Ryan Brown, president and CEO of MindBlazer in Charlotte, creates compelling video assets for financial institution Web sites. He believes video is by far the most effective way to grab someone’s attention.  After cutting their teeth producing Webcasts for Yahoo! in the late 1990s, the company has done an outstanding job at taking complex ideas and concepts and making them easy to understand.

Companies like Mindblazer are creating entertaining, educational, engaging video

Other digital assets you can consider are presentations, Webcasts, animation and web tools, widgets or other applications. The bottom line is: we can’t bore people into loving our companies.

Education

First- and second-generation Web sites were predominately online versions of corporate brochures, addressing the “who, what and where” questions people had about a company. Today, sites with a genuine mission of helping people are those that stand above the crowd.  Helping people can mean providing access to information and/or resources or forums serving people with like interests and/or professional needs.

Would you like to own the “go-to” site for your product or service?  We believe your site should not only sell products, but also help people make good decisions and achieve their desired outcome.

Engagement

William Mills Agency affiliate Warren Douglas Creative Brand Marketing in Ft. Worth, Texas specializes in serving “premium” brands. They have incorporated a Premium Brand Test on the entry page of their Web site.  This ten-question test and its automated results are a good way for their prospects to engage and get some initial feedback on the issues they may need to address. The test and balance of the site certainly drive home Warren Douglas’ mission of serving premium brands.

Using a short form in order to receive free information, such as a white paper of survey results is also a good way to capture basic information and start a dialog.

I liked the episode of Pimp My Ride, where the makeover team installed a bowling ball washer in the trunk of a car for the owner who likes to bowl.  They showed us that a car can be more than just a vehicle for getting somewhere and, in the process, remind us to think creatively about our own asset, our Web site.

Share on Facebook