How important is my Website?

 

 

 

It’s amazing how I still see nightclubs, bars, and lounges not taking their website seriously.  The website should be done even BEFORE your opening day!  Still, folks are struggling for Web site budget. Many venues have made this a capital expenditure after revenue is generated. Really, it’s the cost of doing business.

 

So the marketing should control Web site investments, but the business operation must pay for it. Nothing will have a greater effect on your company’s sales than its Web site.

 

Consider these stats and trends from recent published reports:

·         Dunkin’ Donuts has more than 370,000 Facebook fans, according to this eMarketer interview with David E. Tryder, manager of interactive and relationship marketing at Dunkin’ Donuts.

·         Many Fortune 500 companies, such as Hewlett-Packard and Intel, invest at least 50 percent of their marketing budget in digital.

·         E-mail service providers are experiencing record financial quarters.

·         SEM (search engine marketing) consultants and digital agencies are reinforcing the undeniable shift to digital.

 

In the 1990s, the digital divide referred to the gap between those who had broadband access and could work efficiently online — and those who didn’t. In business, it’s safe to say we’ve crossed that divide. Consider that e-mail is the primary and preferred method of communication and information sharing, while researching information is almost exclusively online. And, instant messaging, texting, and social networking are the next generation of online communications.

 

Digital divide now refers to the divide between those aligning their priorities, budgets, staff, and strategic thinking with the behavior and preferences of their customers.

 

Your venue needs to think digitally, act digitally, and really embrace principles of online marketing. It’s not good enough to have an e-newsletter, run a few paid search ads, and redesign your Web site sometime over the past two years. It’s critical to understand that it’s competitive. Those that execute online marketing better will succeed; those that don’t will quickly fall.

 

Consider these few principles that winning organizations embrace and culturally will make or break a company in the most trying economic times we’ve seen in two generations.

 

Principle No. 1: Be Willing to Fail

You must be willing to fail and fail fast.  What does this mean for your venue? You can’t move into a new area or change strategy and expect immediately to realize a robust ROI (return on investment) and then base all decisions on that. If that happens, one is forced to be conservative and only do what is known to have worked. And that is nowhere near crossing the digital divide.

 

SEO (search engine optimization) and social media strategies are the best examples. If you aren’t willing to invest in determining the right strategy and balance of what’s needed in these two areas, you can count the days down that your competitors will — and the tremendous market share to be lost.

 

Principle No 2: Treat Your Web Site as an Asset or Capital Expenditure

Your Web site should be treated as the absolute epicenter of all things marketing. Every ad should have a URL; every direct mailer should have a Web-based call to action.

 

For instance, I saw my favorite DJ was performing at an event. I was on my laptop thinking, “All right, this is something I want to get tickets in advance for.” And all the ad offered was a toll-free phone number. Who wants to call anyone at 9 a.m. on a Saturday and talk?  I was ready to make the purchase online, so are your customers.

 

Lesson: if you don’t have campaign-specific URLs on everything, then you’re missing the boat. While most marketers use campaign-specific URLs, the real question is why we aren’t paying more attention to the landing pages, microsites, and Web sites we send visitors to. Every marketing effort will either see a significant lift or decrease in its conversion rate even in long B2B sales cycles if you give the customer what they want. Also, make sure it’s easy for visitors to find related items of interest on your site.

 

Principle No. 3: Strategy Starts With the Customer

Yes, we all know this. We all preach this in nightlife and entertainment. But, how many really do this?

 

We don’t need to be pioneers to be successful. All we have to do is look around us, learn from those succeeding, listen to our customers and be committed to crossing that divide before our competition does.

 

I look forward to your comments.

 

Follow Alex Miranda on Twitter