Most of us relish the anticipation of proudly introducing to the online world, the company we’ve worked so hard to build. There is an undeniable excitement and satisfaction that comes with showing off our new brand, our products and our services!
If however like most people, you don’t work with websites every day, the prospect of something going wrong can be daunting, especially in the case of a large or more complex website.
All those hours spent thinking about what we wanted to tell the world, how we wanted to be seen, how we wanted to serve our customers and the valuable time spent with the website designer and website developer to tweak every little aspect of our website… a website launch befitting all our hard work and effort is non-negotiable!
In fact launching a new website should be seen as something of an event! Whether you’re launching a new website for a known brand, or something brand spanking new, this is one of the most valuable opportunities for you to really make some noise and not only create awareness around your brand, but also create real excitement around what you have to offer too!
1. Start with a great online marketing plan
Your website is the foundation of your online marketing plan and so it needs to be seen and noticed. To achieve that online, you will need to consider some online advertising, link building via social media and blogging as your basic online marketing tools. A good website design company should be able to guide you in terms of what you can do, while a full service digital marketing agency, such as The Formula, will be able to help you with everything you need, from website design and development, to compiling your online marketing strategy, search engine optimisation and the professional execution of all your ongoing online marketing tools. If you’re already in the process of building your website, you can still prepare an online marketing plan, even though this is best done before you begin the web design and development process. Get in touch with us if you need help.
2. Get a great web design and development company that sticks to the plan
Apart from ensuring that the look and feel of your website outstrips the best in your industry, your web design and web development team should have the highest level of attention to detail. Every page of your website should function perfectly and there should be no spelling errors or typos to be found anywhere on the website (Google penalizes website errors).
There should be no delays from their end when it comes to launching your website on the date you’ve both agreed on. In other words they should be sticking to strict deadlines and delivering on their promises. Find out more about how to hire the best web design and development company for your needs HERE or simply chat to us at The Formula – we’re here to help you throughout the entire process and make things as easy as possible for you!
Find out more specific detail regarding what your web developer should be checking before your website launch. Reading this article on content marketing strategy is an absolute must and your web guys will tell you that creating lots of good quality content will do wonders for the search engine optimisation of your website. Get a series of blog posts ready, a video or two and any other content that could be beneficial and attractive to your audience, such as a whitepaper, an infographic, product review or guide. When you launch your new website, you definitely want to create a good reason for visitors to stick around, take a good look, get excited and ultimately come back! Providing valuable content right from the very beginning helps to achieve that, while Google favours websites that feature regularly updated, fresh, relevant and valuable content.
3. Start building relationships and awareness ahead of time
How you decide to approach the task of building relationships and awareness with your existing
clients and prospects will depend on a few factors, such as the size and
relevance of your email list, whether or not you have an existing following through social media and so on. The bottom line is to begin creating excitement and anticipation a good few weeks ahead of the launch of your new website. Consider integrating an incentive for existing clients to actively engage with you and be there on the day of your launch, and encourage them to bring a few prospects on board as well. We like to incorporate an email campaign, email branding, news-flashes through social media and mobile marketing, as well as some direct marketing to help our clients build hype ahead of the launch of their new website.
4. Get your final launch plan together
Now that you have your online marketing plan in place, are working on schedule with a great web design and development team and have created some exciting content and a bit of hype to attract your clients and prospects, these last little details will help you ensure that you’ve made the most of launching your new website.
Pre-launch testing and checking: Place yourself in the customers shoes and read all content, use all your forms and subscription prompts, make a few purchases (if you’re launching an eCommerce website), subscribe to your newsletter, share content on social media, use your comments facilities and send yourself a message via your contact form. You should be left with no surprises on the day of your launch!
Content plan: Though you’re launching the website with some great content that you’ve prepared beforehand, be sure to think about the days and weeks post launch. Plan what content you will be sharing from day two onwards.
Compatibility: This is something that is often overlooked! Although most new websites today are designed to be responsive, be sure that your new website works across all browsers and devices. It is good practice to do this yourself, even though your website developer should be checking the compatibility of your website for you. Access the website via your mobile phone, tablet and desktop computer and ask a few colleagues and even family members or friends to do the same.
Create an actual event: Although this will depend on the nature of your business, a real life event is a great way to celebrate the launch of your new website! Whether it’s something formal such as an incentivised dinner soiree, or something more informal such as a braai at the office during the day, give your staff and customers something to get excited about. You can also consider an online event with incentives to attract client participation. An online launch event demands some out-the-box thinking, so why not chat to our talented, creative team at The Formula who will be happy to assist you with some ideas, or even boost some of the great ideas you already have?
Align your collateral: Even if you’ve been punting the impending launch of your website via your email stationary and online media for weeks, don’t forget to ensure that your email signature as well as your business cards, letterhead and all other marketing material is updated with your website URL and social media addresses/icons.
Don’t stop at the launch!
The launch of your new website and all the fanfare that you create around that, should only be the start of your marketing. Your website is one of your biggest marketing investments, so make sure that it continues to work hard for you!
Analytics: Check that your website developer has set up analytics software for your website which will enable you to track all traffic and visitor activity on your website. Interpreting this analytics software can be tricky, so be sure to ask your web developer what all of the metrics actually mean and what you can do to make improvements. Alternatively, chat to us at The Formula. Our internet marketing team will help you to make sense of all the facts and figures and will advise on the best, most efficient way forward.
Fresh content: Make sure that you are sticking to your content management plan and keep your blog, YouTube video account and social media regularly updated with new, valuable content. As we know, Google loves to see fresh content on your website, so keep the content within your website itself, as well as on your blog, regularly updated.
If internet marketing seems somewhat of a minefield to you, why not contact The Formula? Our experienced, talented team is here to help you make the best marketing moves online at all times.
Call Garth 021 556 5661 or him on garth@theformula.co.za to set up your FREE online marketing consultation today.
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