This post is a tribute to one of the greatest visionaries of our times, a revolutionary who changed the way people experience technology today – Steve Jobs. Apart from some of his remarkable innovations, Steve Jobs left his followers and fellow businessmen another legacy, his inspirational outlook towards life and his business acumen, which were often reflected in some of his memorable quotes.
I would like to take some of Steve’s stimulating views and see how I can apply them to B2B Marketing.
In this post I have tried to put down 5 valuable website marketing lessons that we can learn from Steve Jobs’.
“Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.”
This rule applies to all things in life, and website marketing is no exception. If you want your website visitor to engage with you, provide him with a quality experience at every touch point – an easy to navigate site, quality content, excellent customer support etc. Having lots of content, but one that is not aligned to your users’ needs is not going to help in creating a positive impact.
“A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
If you have a new idea to enhance your website experience, don’t be afraid to experiment, just because it is new and not part of the tried and tested formula. Keep innovating with your website and keep testing to see what works and what doesn’t. Website marketing is not a straightforward 5-step linear process; it is all about experimentation and innovation. If your website visitors like what they see on your site, they will come back for more. Don’t discount any ideas just because they are not popular yet, and never be afraid to be a trend setter.
“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.
Loud colors, jazzy banners, complicated designs will work in Vegas, not on B2B websites! Simple is beautiful; make sure your website design is aesthetically pleasant, fonts are easy on the eye and the visitor finds information quickly with minimum clicks. Distractions like popups, long surveys, and loud sounds should be kept to the minimum.
Another great tactic that Apple has imbibed into every aspect of their marketing including their website is consistency of design. There is an instant recall value for Apple products because their design theme is minimalistic, simple and consistent across their products, packaging, stores, and their website. This is something that could work for you too, especially if you are a product company.
“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Most B2B companies invest a lot of resources (time, money, people, technology, design, and content) on creating their website in the hope that they get maximum ROI out of it, in the form of higher lead conversions and better sales. Because of this high investment and involvement, it is very easy to fall in love with your website and ignore all the red signals your visitors are putting out.
If your visitor is not spending time on your site or is not engaging with you, bite the ego bullet and find out why. Ask yourself these questions: Is your design too complicated; Is your messaging too promotional; Are your forms too long; Is your visitor getting value out of your site? The minute you hear a Yes!- it’s time to change. If things are not working as planned, look at it from a fresh perspective, look for competitor websites in the same space and see what they are doing differently, and try and imbibe some best practices. Don’t settle for mediocrity.
“I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.”
Your website is an organic asset, which requires constant nurturing. Website marketing is not a one-time exercise. Even if you have a successful website, you cannot afford to be complacent because like everything technology, website technology is also constantly evolving and it pays to be up to date. Of course, this does not mean that you update your website every time a new trend hits the market, but it is important to keep your site fresh, with regular audits, quality content and current applications. Whenever you add a new product or service to your existing business, your website should be updated, ideally on the day of the launch itself, again a strategy that has paid rich dividends for Apple.
A website is no different from a garden. A quick glance is enough to distinguish a well-tended garden from one that is full of weeds. And where would you spend more time?
Your website is the most important virtual asset your company possesses, and it pays to give it the importance it deserves. “Staying hungry” to try out new ideas and to innovate continuously and “staying foolish” to know that there is always scope for improvement and being open to change when things are not working for your website, is a surefire way to win at website marketing and engaging better with your website visitors. And Steve Jobs’ would agree!
