There’s a revolution going on right now and most companies don’t yet understand the shift. Web 2.0, the second generation of web development that facilitates communication, collaboration and the sharing of information, is changing the landscape and tone of business communications. The hard sell, in-your-face self promotion is no longer accepted by this generation. Instead, this world operates by an unwritten policy that says:
1. Create relationships first.
2. Give value to your relationships and invest in them.
3. Your business initiatives will succeed as a result of the investments you’ve made in your relationships.
Makes sense, right? But how does your business give value? And where?
What value should you give? That answer is an easy one. Provide information that aligns with what you want to be known for.
Where do you deliver your value? Everywhere you connect with your customers. But most importantly, deliver value on the home page of your website. Put your blog content on your landing page.
A home page with valuable content demonstrates that you have value.
A home page that is a sales brochure says you have value.
Which do you think is the more effective practice? A demonstration or a statement?
photo credit: JMS2
5 Comments
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Deliver value on the home page of your website – Yes. Put your blog content on your landing page – maybe not.
One does not necessarily follow the other. Maybe the value of your homepage is in its directness, simplicity, one big idea, image, etc. Check out my homepage, http://www.geoffreykatz.com, which I am resisting changing, because it is communicating a lot with simple graphics. I do link to my blog there, though.
MSN.com, Yahoo.com landing pages are so busy, seem like they are trying to be everything to everybody sometimes. Compare Google.com landing page, much more white space, but even here the page is a lot more cluttered than it was a year ago, or two.
Geoffrey, I will hold on to my belief that businesses should put their blog in some form on their landing page as that is the vehicle for engaging as well as demonstrating expertise and delivering value. Unless the business is some form of visual art, nothing communicates a message better than words. Graphics can mean different things to different people.
Susan (and Dean), thank you for today’s presentation. Each time I attend one of your sessions I grow. I admire your commitment to all things Internet and envy the time you have to focus on the Web.
That said, I don’t agree that “nothing communicates a message better than words.” That assumes some type of intellectual base and common reason. Few countries have a high literacy rate (read the blogs). And would we only had common reason. I haven’t seen any lately. Words have created havoc. Look at interpretations of the Bible, for starters. Words mean different things to different people, particularly in a multi-cultural society.
And while I learned years ago that images can be and are manipulated, anyone under 60 was brought up on television and Madison Avenue images. I deal with this on one of my sites: http://www.terrapublishinghouse.com/notes/realEstatePhotography.html. With images that create desire, I have helped position/sell severeal multi-million dollars homes within days of going on the market in a down market.
I wrote a book on this, have quoted you both therein and when I get a chance, I will send you a copy for approval on the sections wherein you are quoted.
Regards.
I forgot: Marketing studies indicate that when a consumer is faced with too many choices, they tend to avoid making any. So a combination of images and text is ideal to appeal to whichever side of the brain is predominant in a given person. I need both.
Dianne.
Dianne, first off, thank you for your kind words about our presentations.
I totally agree that text combined with images and ideally, video, is the most effective means for delivering a message. To clarify my statement, “nothing communicates a message better than words,” I meant to convey that an image alone can not effectively communicate the business mission on a landing page. Just like the photos of the homes on your site, some text is needed to tell the reader the full story.
Thanks for the heads up on your book. Wishing you must success with it!
Susan