In an age where the internet is completely ingrained in our everyday lives, your website is your company’s best chance to make a first impression. Effectively conveying your company’s ethics, vision and purpose on your website is, therefore, key to your success.
But how can you use your website to portray your business visions and policies whilst simultaneously grabbing, and keeping your audience’s attention? Here are ten top tips to help.
1) Pause and think
Before you can communicate your goals, ideas and strategies to your audience, you need to have a clear idea in your mind of what those actually are. Take a moment to think about these and discuss them with your partners and staff members. Write a list of your goals and another list of your priorities. Take some time to think about what your company is and what your morals are.
2) Make a motto
Once you’ve established who you are as a company, come up with a motto that summarizes your most important priority or goal. Keep it succinct and catchy to grab people’s attention. If you’re an established company, this could be the same as a previously used ad slogan that was successful. Think about Nike’s “Just Do It” for example. This slogan is not only synonymous with the giant sporting brand but also summarizes the competitive and fighting-fit attitude of the sporting world.
Your motto or slogan should go on your homepage underneath the company name. It should be the first thing your customers see and should summarize your company’s ethos and purpose.
3) Write a blurb
The homepage of your website should clearly introduce your business. You should write about your history, your services, your purpose and your overall goals as a company. It doesn’t have to be War and Peace, however, a short paragraph will do the trick just fine. This will help customers understand who you are and why they should use your services.
4) Look at the bigger picture
When summarizing your company’s goals and priorities, remember to think about more than just your company. Consumers these days appreciate a company that cares about their impact on the planet and on the people around them. For example, if you’re a manufacturing company who carefully recycled materials wherever possible, highlight this on your website. Include a headline with bullet points of how your operations are environmentally sustainable. Or if you’re a local cafe who gives leftover produce to the homeless, tell your customers about it.
Your company vision and strategies don’t have to just be about your revenue targets. It’s about how you treat your staff, how you impact the planet and your social responsibilities as a business.
5) Keep it simple
When it comes to sharing your ideas, keep it simple. We live in a short-attention-span society where people are deterred from lengthy paragraphs. Keep everything succinct and to the point.
This doesn’t mean you can’t include a lot of different information, however. You should just carefully consider the layout and the way in which the information is conveyed. Bulleted lists under catchy headlines are always useful and allow consumers to browse whichever sections they feel most relevant to them personally.
6) Offer visual aids
Another great way of conveying a broad range of information is through visual aids. It’s a great way of catching people’s attention whilst also clearly communicating your message.
Let’s look at this vegan burger restaurant for example.
They simultaneously describe their services whilst also highlighting their ethics using 7 simple images and short paragraphs below each image. This way, we’ve understood what they’re selling, why they’re selling it and how environmentally sustainable their operations are. All of which is conveyed in an easy to read formation.
Notice also how they’ve included a short motto/slogan at the top of their homepage “Plant-Based Burgers”. Short and sweet, it summarises their entire brand.
7) Use examples
Don’t be afraid to include examples and testimonials. If you’re a customer service company, include a section with testimonials from satisfied customers and stats about your customer retention. Evidence to support your claims goes a long way with potential consumers.
8) Celebrate the positives
Don’t be modest – highlight and celebrate your successes. If environmental sustainability is part of your overall ethos and you’ve successfully cut your office waste in half, highlight that on your website. If you’ve persuaded your entire staff to use reusable coffee cups, add that in and highlight how many coffee cups that saves on average per year.
If you don’t clearly display and highlight the positives, then how will your customers ever know about them?
9) Sharing is caring
Your morals, ethics, goals and priorities don’t have to just stay in your office manual or on your website. Share them on social media. Write blog articles about certain aspects of your business strategies or your ethics and share them on LinkedIn. It will give your company publicity and highlight your brave choices to your consumers and peers.
10) Keep checking in
Your company will change and evolve over time and so will your goals, objectives and ethics. Don’t be afraid to check in on a regular basis and update the information on your website accordingly.
