Recently I co-hosted a C-Suite workshop with Grant Goodwin, the bright mind behind AllRoads. I asked Grant to elaborate on a few of the concepts he shared in the workshop. Here is a bit more detail from Grant.
Dave: A lot of CEOs that I know are disappointed that their websites don’t get much attention. Why do you think that is?
Grant Goodwin is an entrepreneur based in Canada and President of All Roads Inc. an organization with clients across North America and Europe. –
Grant: We spend exorbitant amounts of time online – which is why it’s more crucial than ever before that businesses cater to this online audience. The problem is, most business leaders have no idea why their corporate websites garner such little attention online. They keep repeating the same mistakes, while failing to implement the obvious solution.
Dave: Most corporate web sites are a turn-off to me personally. It’s mostly sales talk and slogans.
Grant: Exactly. For a platform that’s limited only by the capabilities of the latest technologies and our imaginations, the vast majority of company websites are startlingly similar. Corporate marketers feel inclined to put sweeping promises, sales pitches and facts on their web pages such as:
- “Leading customer service since 2001.”
- “15 minutes south of downtown.”
- “Meet our dedicated team of experienced professionals”
- “Come in and experience our personalized service.”
- “Your all-in-one solution with a smile!”
- “Small Business Award Winner, 2006.”
Trouble is, none of the above information is valuable. It makes a cheap, inflated promise to the prospect and tries to lure them into the store or into a purchase. And since everyone else follows the same format online, it is neither compelling nor memorable.
David Keuning, CEO Peer Group Chair
Dave: It sounds like you have to give web users what they want or they vote with their mouse and click off to somewhere else.
Grant: Web surfers have thousands of options. Just from looking at your homepage, they can assess in a matter of seconds whether your business is appealing, personable, or informative. If anything makes them think otherwise, they’ll click away: because they have thousands of other website options to explore.
The trick then is to convey that credibility, knowledge and brand personality on your corporate website – and the sales pitches and vague promises won’t cut it. So what’s the solution? It’s surprisingly simple: act the way you would face to face.
Dave: I meet with a lot of CEOs here in Hawaii. Sometimes I sense a disconnect between talking to a company’s leadership and visiting the company website. Why is that?
Grant: In person, the CEO and his or her staff actively listen to the client’s unique needs and pain points and from there, deliver helpful, tailored information. The response and the effectiveness of the solution convey his or her industry expertise. In one face-to-face experience, the client learns consciously and unconsciously about the services your organization can offer, your brand, your key differentiators as a business, and the depth of your knowledge. If they don’t get the same messages from your corporate site, then it has failed to accurately represent your business.
Dave: What advice would you give Honolulu CEOs?
Grant: Here is what I’d tell them: To showcase your customer service and expertise, differentiate from competitors, and to help clients with their individual problems and questions, your corporate site needs to provide value – and that value comes in the form of Authoritative Content: your knowledge, packaged in an engaging, digest-able and accessible form. Put prized information —
Dave: Sales blather?
Grant: Not sales blather! Put prized information on your corporate site, and web surfers will have found what they were looking for: an industry expert who cares about helping them. Most corporate websites are all sales pitch and no value – precisely the opposite of what today’s online audience is looking for. So humanize your business’ online presence by providing the useful information your target audience needs; behave as you would in person on the Internet and enjoy all the perks that come from being an Authoritative voice online.