Often we’re contacted about e-mail marketing and, indeed, it’s a great way to reach your audience, done properly and within the bounds of legality (e.g. The Can Spam Act). But often you see the cart before the horse. Why send out email newsletters or flyers that point to a site that’s a straight-up template or is just an ad or a business card site that offers no real value? It’s like inviting people to your car lot, at which point they find you really don’t have an inventory – but you’re willing to discuss cars all they want. Or perhaps like inviting them to look at a photo of your car lot.
Your site is the hub, the centerpiece, in your internet marketing plan. If you’re wondering whether to send out e-mailings, or snail-mailings, or hang neighborhood flyers, you want them to carry your web site link, but when prospects visit that central hub, how likely are you to get a call? If you’re not, you know what has to be done first. Look at your web site stats – lots of hits, few contacts? What visitors are telling you is that they came to your “open house” and never got out of the car. Whether it’s e-mail marketing, social networking, or other marketing formats, your site needs to reflect your overall marketing approach and core competencies, or you’re just throwing away your effort and dollars.