OPTIMIZATION
In B2B Marketing, Your Homepage Must Make Great First Impressions
Justine Herz
VP, Marketing at PeakActivity
OPTIMIZATION
In B2B Marketing, Your Homepage Must Make Great First Impressions
Justine Herz
VP, Marketing at PeakActivity
Your B2B homepage. Your digital “welcome” mat. Never has a single web page had to accomplish so many things, for so many people, in such a short amount of time.
B2B Homepage Best Practices
To ensure that your homepage is capable of accomplishing all of that heavy lifting, here are some best practices so that your B2B homepage will be nothing short of killer:
Clearly Communicate the Value Prop
Place the value of your product or service front and center. Within seconds of arriving on your site, prospective buyers should know where they are, what they can do there, why they should buy from you, and be able to see proof of your claims.
Always Offer Visitors an Action or More Content
Your homepage should be a gateway for a prospective buyer to take action (e.g. download a PDF, sign up for a newsletter) as well as gain access to more information-intensive areas of your site. Give them options (buttons, text links, images, etc) to click so that they always have somewhere to go next. The longer they stay on your site, the less likely they are to close the window and visit a competitor’s website instead.
Lead Capture
B2B selling is all about capturing and nurturing new leads, especially if your sales cycle is complex and takes time. Be sure to include multiple opportunities for prospects to submit contact information throughout the page.
Offers and Promotions
If you have any offers or promotions currently underway, your homepage is prime real estate in which to let visitors know about it. Granted, in B2B sales, this may not be a “20% off” promotion, but you may consider offering a free demo or free trial, as an example.
Evidential Proof
Do you have any reviews or testimonials? Results from previous projects? Won any awards? This evidential proof helps validate any value proposition claims made throughout your site. Buyers want to see that you have experience solving the issues they are currently facing.
Content Diversity
Develop content that aligns with your prospect’s buying journey. Your homepage will likely be the first-page prospects visit, so content should help them understand who you are, what you can do for their business, and how you differ from competitors. However, you’ll also need additional content that answers their deeper questions – e.g. product demos, product guides, feature comparisons, pricing, client case studies, client testimonials.
Visuals and Design
Create a design that emphasizes the most important points you want to communicate to prospective buyers. For example, if you want them to see the results you’ve achieved for other clients, make sure you create a design that emphasizes that. Use design to provide visitors with visual cues to help guide them through the page towards the most important messaging or actions.
Compelling Headlines
As advertising icon David Ogilvy famously said, “On average, five times as many people will read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.” Make your headlines as compelling as possible and don’t be afraid to work your value proposition into them when it makes sense.
Messaging and Copy
“On average, five times as many people will read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”
DAVID OGILVY
Meet Your Most Dedicated "Salesperson"
Your homepage isn’t just where your website begins; it’s where the sales process begins. What your homepage says to visitors, how it says it, how the page is designed, and the way it influences visitor behavior will often determine whether that sales process will move forward or come to an abrupt end. So, take care of your homepage. Give it the attention, time, and investment it demands so that the only impression it will make on a potential customer is one that will lead to a sale.
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