The digital landscape is reinventing the way companies engage their consumers. Digital channels not only allow you to speak to your consumer in real time, but also provide clear-cut methods for tracking these interactions and measuring return on investment. To be successful in the upcoming year, examine your web presence and the value it brings to your customers. Websites should offer a direct link to your company and allow for the effective conversion of a prospective customer to a valued client. Additionally, they should offer tools and resources that build on your current relationships with clients, maximizing the value of each customer.

The key to leveraging this direct link lies in addressing basic consumer expectations. When a consumer visits a website for the first time, they look for key information and tools to help them make a decision on the brand or product. When these critical factors are missing or difficult to find, the consumer will loose interest and proceed to a competitive website for the information they need.

The first step to creating a website that generates leads and creates sales is to evaluate your success in meeting these essential criteria. Once you have identified the strengths and weaknesses of your site, you can begin creating a web space that will address customer expectations and drive your bottom line. Website analysis and consumer research provide valuable insight into the things consumers find important, and whether your website is effectively delivering these assets.

This year, consider evaluating your website through an in-depth analysis, consumer survey, or focus group. The information these research methods collect can be invaluable in constructing a website that not only communicates the value of your company to consumers, but also effectively converts them into loyal clients. Contact us today for a free preliminary analysis of your site!

Respectfully Yours,

In-depth research on the effectiveness of your search engine optimization, navigation, content, design and functionality guarantees an objective look at where your website excels in relation to the competition, as well as where it leaves much to be desired. By gaining a true understanding of what consumers view as important, how they typically navigate through a site and the points of your site that result in attrition, you can craft a website that maximizes the potential of each visitor.

In looking at ineffective websites, there are reoccurring similarities. Although there are a wide variety of reasons websites can fail in delivering a positive consumer experience, there are five common factors that are proven to discourage consumers.

#1 – Poor Layout.

In today’s era, consumers are constantly given the information they need in easy to digest formats. Great layouts guide the consumer’s eye to appropriate information and help them find what they need quickly. If a layout is confusing, or makes it difficult to locate the answers to simple inquires, the consumer will become disinterested and seek out a site that provides the information in a more concise format.

#2 – Bad Design

Bad design is a major cause of visitor attrition. If consumers are overwhelmed by complicated Flash elements, disjointed graphics or confusing images it is likely they will immediately loose interest in the brand or product. Clean, professional design signals to consumers that the company they are evaluating is legitimate and offers a quality product or service. People are visual creatures; bad design creates opportunities for negative associations to form in the consumers mind.

#3 –Content Quality

Marketing and advertising is becoming increasingly segmented as digital channels offer more in-depth analytics on target markets. Consumers have become accustomed to receiving information that is relevant to their individual needs and desires. If your website does not include relevant content consumers will quickly identify a source that does. It is no longer enough to provide vague information about your company and products; you must translate the features of your product or service into clear benefits for the consumer.

#4 – Complex Navigation

The navigation of a website determines what information is accessible to consumers. If consumers must progress through too many clicks to find the information they are looking for, they are likely to leave the site in search of one that presents the information they are looking for in a clear way. Consumers are becoming less tolerant of companies that do not design their websites to fit the needs of their customer base. Make sure that your site navigation is simple and self-explanatory.

#5 – Lack of Conversion Mechanisms

Once you have managed to capture a consumer’s attention and provide them with relevant
Information, it is important to provide a clear path to action. Companies that don’t ask for business in today’s competitive climate won’t get it. Encourage visitors to register for more information, speak with a sales representative or provide contact information for future offers and promotions. The most successful websites are those that find a way to start the conversation post website visit.

Contact us today for a complimentary analysis of your website. We can help you identify what aspects of your website are resulting in the loss of quality prospects and create a web strategy that will result in measurable return on investment.

King Media is partnering with Tabor Hill Winery & Restaurant to manage their website functionality, marketing and public relations for the 2010 year. Tabor Hill has been a leader in the Michigan wine industry since 1968, when the vineyard was planted with 27 grape varieties. Today, with 55 acres of estate-grown grapes and 400 acres of local produce from neighboring growers, Tabor Hill has expanded their original output of 2,000 gallons of wine annually to more than 150,000 gallons annually.



Along with expanding their wine production, Tabor Hill has worked to create a genuine patron experience unrivaled in Michigan’s wine country. The Winery features a gourmet restaurant, complete with fresh seasonal ingredients from local growers, the renowned chocolate line, Norman Love Confections, and a portfolio of award-winning wines for patrons’ enjoyment. Tabor Hill is bringing this unique experience to the Saugatuck area in the upcoming months with a renovated Tasting Room.

This year, King Media will be working with Tabor Hill to promote new developments and interact with their most valued customers through a dynamic web presence, innovative social media strategy and effective integrated marketing communications. Upcoming news includes the release of brand new Tabor Hill varieties, including 2009 White Wine Vintages and 2008 Dry Red Wines to be bottled this month. Click here to visit the Tabor Hill website.

King Media’s long-time client and business partner, Anderson Economic Group, has recently released the 2010 State Economic Handbook. The State Economic Handbook is an annual reference book profiling the economy, demography, political environment, and business climates for each of the 50 states. The book assembles a wide array of data collected by Anderson Economic Group for use in economic, finance, and market analysis consulting work. Data is presented on a state-by-state basis, and there is a State Ranking section to present a clear look at how the states compare.

For each state there is a narrative discussing key demographic and economic trends, and assessing the state’s economy and demography relative to the nation as a whole. Data tables include demographic and socio-economic information, such as population and income. There is also a section on workforce and industry, and a listing of each state’s top-ten industries in terms of employment. Also provided are data on state tax and business climates, voting behavior and elected officials, and a listing of the main business and economic agencies in each state.

The book is available through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Palgrave Macmillian.

Q: I want to update my website for this year, but I have a limited budget. What is the most cost effective way to go about improving my site?

A:There are many low-cost options for evaluating your site and making improvements. A back-end website analysis can provide valuable data for shaping a re-design strategy at a fraction of the cost of holding individual focus groups for each segment within your target market.
Web analytics evaluate how your visitors behave on your site, and answer questions that are critical to retaining visitors and driving repeat traffic. Web analytics can give you an overview of how visitors find your site, progress through it, identify which content attracts or drives them away and indicate how different market segments behave differently. Ultimately, web analytics provide you with the information you need to effectively communicate with your customers and leverage your website to drive measurable business.

Also, executing updates to the SEO, navigation, content or programming of a site becomes more cost manageable when dispersed over time. By analyzing the results of research and determining the most important issues to address, you can update your site on an ongoing basis without sacrificing tangible results. For example, King Media works for a number of clients on a monthly retainer. The client receives a specified amount of hours each month to make improvements on the site, based on their budget constraints and desired scope of work. This not only makes cost more manageable, but also puts less strain on your internal resources to compile necessary assets, such as company information or customer databases.

Send your questions or comments to Ralphie@KingMediaNow.com

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