1. 6 tips that will turn your website into a sales machineINBOUNDMARKETING My business has a website now what?

2. Introduction Whats Inbound Marketing?Youve successfully completed the daunting task of building your very ownbusiness website. Now what?You want your website to live up to its hype. You need power, flexibility andusability. You want to turn your website into a sales machine, but dont want toshell out thousands of dollars on advertising, paid branding and cold-calling.Enter InboundMarketing!freeThink of it as funneling users to your site from all of the webstraffic sources. Gathering traffic from search engines, blog posts, articles, A recent study ofvideos, infographics, white papers, webinars and social media channels. consumer behavior onInbound Marketing is becoming increasingly popular due to a rapid shift inFacebook concludedbuyer behavior. Todays buyer wishes to consume information when they want, that 51% of consumershow they want, and often-times rely on the opinion of a family member orsaid they are morefriend instead of a sales pitch.likely to buy a productsince becoming a fanon Facebook.Inbound Marketing presents a hugeopportunity for businesses. Your Report by Constant Contact, Inc. andChadwick Martin Bailey.website serves as the central location to which all of these free channels funnelinto, turning your website into a crucial piece of the equation.Here are 6 tips to ensure your site is ready to convert those leads into salesand turn your site into an inbound marketing machine. 3. #1: Stop Hiding From Search Engines SEO for beginners:Make sure your website is optimally positioned to naturally rank higher in search engines. By nowyouve probably heard the term SEO and realize you need it, but dont know where to start. Here are afew MUST HAVES for getting started with Search Engine Optimization.Grab the Easy Inbound Links FirstOften referred to as Link Building this is the process ofrequesting other websites to link back to your website.Think of it as a VOTE of approval. Search engines considerthese links as votes in a popularity contest.NOTE: Unlike a political ballot, each link or vote is notequal. Popular websites linking to you are weighted morefavorably than unpopular websites. So be sure to get linksfrom other popular websites.Examples of Inbound Links you can get today: Directories (dir.Yahoo.com (paid), DMOZ.org (free), Local Reviews (Yelp.com, Manta.com, AngiesList.com) Submit Info Pieces (Visual.ly Infographics, YouTubeVideos, Ideamarketers.com Whitepapers)SEO continues next page 4. #1: Stop Hiding From Search Engines continued Simple On-Site Enhancements a. Meta Data Title and Description Youll want to make sure these two fields are populated. This is what consumers see when they search for you in search engines. Consider it your sales pitch to someone browsing through the search results. Search engines rely heavily on this information to rank your page so youll want to include your products and services here. However, be sure NOT to overload with keywords. Remember, this is your sales pitch so keep it natural and be creative! b. Submit a Sitemap Poor example: stuffed with keywords Submitting an XML sitemap to the Title search engines helps them to find all the pages on your site quickly. This is different from the sitemapDescription you may have ON your site. This type of sitemap works behind the Good example: a natural invitation to visit site scenes. You can make your own sitemap by visiting www.xml- sitemaps.com. Once created, login to your webmaster tools account (provided by each search engine) and upload your sitemap.Need more tips for SEO? 5. #2: No Scare Tactics make your visitors feel welcomed!By now youve probably already designed your site, but if youre using a CMS website here area few tips you can tackle yourself:Did they come to the right place? You first want to insure visitors theyve Gone are the days when suits and tiesmade it to the right site. Display information about your product or service in a made the first impression for ourprominent location and preferably near the top or above the fold. You may also companies. Today, we rely on ourchoose a descriptive tag line near your websites logo. website to make that initialPhotos inviting? Taking the time to update your photography can make evenintroduction to our brand. So be surean old site look new. Let your visitors know that youre in business today not 10 it represents exactly who you are andyears ago! looks as cool as you do.Inviting colors? Choose colors that are soothing, relaxing and wont conflictwith each other. For example, using a cool blue is generally more welcomingthan a bright, alarming red. Also try to keep with the colors of your brand toreinforce theyre in the right place.Too much, too soon? When it comes to homepages LESS IS MORE. Dontworry about displaying everything on one page. Rather, provide sleek andprominent navigation links to allow visitors to easily and quickly find their waythrough the info on your sites pages.Privacy Policy?Providing a link to your privacy policy somewhere in the footer can ensure yourlegitimacy and keep visitors focused on your product.Awards, Certificates, Recognition?Youve earned it, dont be afraid to share it. Display a badge if possible or a logoof the company who recognized you. Your visitors will welcome it.Need a website redesign? 6. #3: Are You Boring? spice up that content, please!Content is key to mastering the art of InboundMarketing. You work so hard to drive traffic toyour site now reward them for showing up!What is Content?Text youre probably pretty familiar with this form.Imagery In addition to photography be sure to includeartwork, logos or infographics, such as the one to the left.Video video is becoming increasingly popular today becauseof its added human element to the online sales pitch.Audio much like video and imagery audio allows you to tapinto yet another of the human senses.Games and Utility offer a calculator, convenient shoppingcart, fun game, etcCreating this type of rich content experience will allowyou to educate your consumer and offer a valuable(example infographic) user experience. FamousBloggers.net More content ideas 7. #4: Take Controlcontent management and flexibility:If youre not using a CMS website you should be!A CMS (content management system) website empowers you to make changes to your site ONDEMAND and without having to shell out cash every time you want to tweak or enhance your site.This flexibility allows you to coordinate on-site content with your inbound marketing campaigns:Insert/Edit ContentKeep your info up to date, relevant and savvy! Create multiple CTAs (call-to-action.)Swap Out and Resize Images on DemandFresh, new imagery alone can create a welcoming online experience.Add/Delete Custom PagesCreate new landing pages for your campaigns or events.Modify Navigation StructureMake it easier for visitors to find your campaign info.SEOTweak and enhance your meta data on demand.Create relevant and valuable links. CMS Websites Offer Power and FlexibilityLearn more about CMS websites 8. #5: Providing Trustthe social factor: Are you connected? Visitors want to see youre connected to other people in their network of friends who approve of your brand. Youve spent numerous hours building your social media followership heres where it pays off! Social Media Tips: 1. Choose a prominent location to display icons of the social networksyour belong and be sure they link up to your social pages. 2. If you have products, videos, articles and infographics already onyour site, attach a share or like button to each to allow visitorsto easily send to a friend. 3. If your social followers are saying great things about you thenconsider adding a widget box to your site to share this positivefeedback with new visitors.Which Networks Count?The right social network for your company largely depends on your overall marketing approach and brand. That being said, thefollowing is a list of social networks that should be a part of any marketing strategy:1. www.facebook.com typically used for building relationships with consumers and acquiring feedback.2. www.twitter.com a great platform for sharing your inbound marketing pieces (video, infographics, articles, etc)3. www.plus.google.com a budding platform, but still very important due to its unique SEO implications.4. www.linkedin.com a great resource to increase your brand awareness among business professionals.5. www.pinterest.com not for everyone, but if you create great imagery pieces its an absolute must!More on Social Media 9. #6: Make Your Goal Knowneffective call-to-actions:Its your website. YOU are the master of ceremonies. Directyour traffic to perform a specific task related to your campaign.Theres no need to make them hunt for the desired conversionpage. Invite them to perform a transaction and make sure itsCLEAR by placing it above the fold.To the right is a great example of an effectiveCTA (call-to-action) as well as a poor exampleof a CTA both courtsey of Coca-Cola.comCTA #2 is much more effective than CTA #1because of the bright color and its basicfeature resembling a clickable button.CTA #1 blends in with the background and isfar less eye-catching.Keep in mind that CTAs are meant toSTAND OUT. You never want to blend yourCTA for the sake aesthetics, or keeping withyour sleek, new design. Your CTA is the onetime you get to break all the rules. 10. Found these tips helpful?Share with a friend or contact:Tweet ItBizzuka is Inc. 5000s One of Americas Fastest-Growing U.S. Companies Share on FacebookShare on LinkedIn