Unless you’ve been under a metaphorical rock for the past ten years, you’re probably already aware that digital marketing is the way of the future for most businesses. Sure, there are still billboards up around towns and major highways, and we still see a ton of commercials when we turn on the TV. However, they’re just not as profitable as they used to be.
After all, consumers are spending most of their time online right now (at least, most of them). As companies, we have to alter our own strategies to continue to appeal to our target demographics. There are entire jobs dedicated to this, as you can see here, https://online.maryville.edu/online-bachelors-degrees/marketing/careers/digital-marketing-manager/, which tells you just how important this has become as of late.
At the end of the day, though, figuring out your own personal marketing strategy is going to be what’s most important. Yes, it should probably involve digital marketing, but there’s something to be said about developing your own personal spin on how your company goes about it. That’s how you go about creating a brand identity that consumers can identify with and relate to.
Why Worry about Web Design?
Honestly, at the start of the internet, I don’t think that this aspect of existing on that digital platform was really on anyone’s radar. When you look back at some of the sites that were made…well, let’s just say their aesthetics didn’t age particularly well. That’s where we got that “graphic design is my passion” meme, after all – and trust me when I say that you don’t want your site to invoke that in the slightest.
Today, we’ve got all sorts of tools at our disposal to make sure that doesn’t happen. The thing with web design is that it’s one of the ways that anyone can express themselves on the internet – and that includes companies and businesses. It’s a pretty huge part of building that identity and branding that I mentioned above. When you think of some of the huge online retailers, what comes to your mind?
Probably their logo, and maybe even the colors on their site. A lot of the big guys have colors that stand out and that most consumers can recognize almost instantly – from Amazon to Wal-Mart and more. While before that was mostly something that we saw those companies apply
to their brick and mortar locations, increasingly it seems like their graphic design teams are leaning on those concepts as well.
When you opt to give something like the Kajabi 30 day free trial a shot, you might find the colors or logo that helps you stand out amongst the crowd as well. Perhaps the biggest draw there, though, is that you can also figure out a way to display the products that you sell in a stream-lined and visually appealing way. When a consumer goes from browsing the page to buying something (or doing another action that you want them to), we call that a conversion.
The goal of web design is typically to encourage consumers to do those desired actions to convert their clicks into sales. That’s the main reason it’s such a big deal in the online retail space, and certainly something to familiarize yourself with. Naturally, it’s a part of that adapting-to-change that I mentioned earlier.
How it Works
Now, I know that plenty of folks are still quite skeptical about all of this. I mean, how can we really improve our sales just by making our website look a little nicer? Honestly, a lot of it comes down to human psychology and the ways that our brains work. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the goal is to manipulate our customers. However, there are ways that we can capitalize on the ways brains operate to get more sales – that’s just how the field works.
You can read about it further on blogs like this one, if you’re curious for some of the details. Generally speaking, though, there are a few key concepts that can help you understand. For one thing, it’s a pretty big deal to understand that color really does matter. Certain hues can make customers more interested in your products, while other give a bad first impression.
There are even color wheels made specifically to help us understand which colors evoke which emotions. Obviously, these are not accurate 100% of the time, but still, that’s the general idea of what to watch for here. While it might seem silly or unimportant, these decisions really do matter.
Another thing that you’ll want to sort out is how you display your products on your site. This is another thing that’s a surprisingly big deal – descriptions and reviews are a lot of what make customers interested in what we have to offer. Making that information as readily available as possible tends to be a move in the right direction most of the time.
One of the final pieces of the puzzle is to offer customer service options that are super accessible for your customers. Chat bubbles popping up on the screen making note of the fact that an agent is ready to chat should the visitor need assistance is a popular method of doing this as of late, although some folks consider it to be somewhat intrusive. As long as you make it clear that there is someone that can help, you can check that box off.
As you can see, there have been a ton of innovations in the fields of web design and online marketing to meet the rising demand of consumers who exist in those spaces. Once we become aware of them as a company, it’s up to us to decide which to use and which to take a pass on. Hopefully, this article has offered you some perspectives on what might be worth your time. Just remember that even if you aren’t paying much attention to the look of your site, your customers certainly are.