5 reasons a marketing plan needs to be completed before your website

Strategy development before tactics

During our retreat a few weeks ago, our attendees needed to do the work of clarifying their core values, mission & vision, and their goals for their business first before thinking about their website

Why? You may say,  I know the colors I like and an idea of what kind of websites I like.  

Website marketing is an important part of your marketing strategy, but a website is a tactic, not a strategy.  Strategy is the overall plan or set of goals you are hoping to achieve, while a tactic is a means to get you there.  

1. Saves time & money

Once you get into the design and development process, you find you need to make choices that you never realized. Items such as keywords to use, how you want your website visitor’s experience to be, and knowing if you need a freebie or even a newsletter signup on your site. 

If you are using a 3rd party team, they most likely will be giving you a quote.  There will be a clause that if anything outside the specifications will constitute a project change, which will take longer and be more expensive. 

2. The design intent is clearly defined

Most web projects start out with a design.  If you know how your website fits into your overall marketing strategy, then you or a designer can determine a design that fits all of your needs faster, resulting in a website that fulfills your business goals and vision. 

3. Better Results

You will be much happier with a design if you have a well-defined explanation of the goals of your business and the values that you are working to convey.  No one wants to see an initial design and say ‘that’s nowhere near what I was expecting” 

 Commit to doing the prework processes and you will be more pleased with the results.  A first draft design with all of the information available will result in a draft that won’t be perfect but will be well on your way to a design you will be happy with.  Knowing your goals, then you know what the main thing that a website visitor is supposed to be doing.  A well-designed site will lead the user through the steps to end up where you want them to. 

Address your ideal client’s pain and frustration, and if you haven’t identified their pain points, your website will not be addressing them.  

4. Ensure you are getting everything you need

Give your website the care and attention that it needs.  It is a very important image you are putting out there.  Users will notice if you care about them or not by an easy experience for them.  If they can anticipate exactly what they are going to find, they will have a more positive view of your business.  

A key goal is for users to build up trust with your brand and your business so that they will be more likely to do business with you.  

5. Set your business apart from the competition

Knowing what makes your business unique allows your website to reflect that difference in your images and copywriting.  Users will want to see and hear about them and how your company can resolve their problems or frustrations.  

Wrap up: 

Most people make the mistake of thinking that they need a website before they start a marketing plan. In reality, a website is a part of a marketing plan, not a stand-alone entity. It needs to be a part of a bigger plan that includes your business goals and your business brand strategy. If you have a business or you plan to have a business, you need to have a marketing plan. 

 

— Trish Bovell, website designer, developer, & owner of Savvy Web Woman.

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