It’s a fact: we all have an inclination to publish news about our companies on our websites. It’s natural: when we’re part of a project, we want to share how things are going with everyone else.
For example:
– You’re expanding our staff
– You’re renewing your QA systems
– You’re moving to a new office
– You’re holding a staff training
But the question is whether all of this content works in the outside world, commercially speaking. Is it an effective way to connect with potential clients, or to strengthen relationships with current clients?
Not so much.
What is your audience looking for? They’re trying to solve a problem or concern. They’re looking for a product or service with a specific benefit.
The title of this post is a little disingenuous. The kind of company news that is typically published doesn’t have much to do with the actions required to draw in potential clients.
An exercise
You don’t need to discard this kind of content entirely, but we do suggest you remove it from your homepage and that you don’t make it central to your website. Why? Because you’re going to replace it with more influential, persuasive content.
After that, you can publish company news in another section.
Here’s another exercise for you: if the news that you publish doesn’t meet some of these goals, it’s time to replace it!
– Inform
We’re not talking about industry-specific information. That idea is that you convey and reflect all of the activity within your business so that you became a point of reference.
– Entertain
You have to keep your readers interested. We know, it’s a challenge, but you’ll only succeed if you publish useful information, benefits, and responses to questions and concerns that they’re interested in.
– Incentivize
Here’s where the persuasive part comes in. Getting your readers to take a certain action is a key aspect. Besides reading your posts, they have to do something with those words. They have to feel inspired and incentivized to take a path that will bring them closer to your company.
The chance
How did you do with the exercise? Beyond all of that, the main goal is for your website (or at least your home page) to be 100% dedicated to capturing potential clients.
Keep at the forefront of your mind that your objectives are to inform, entertain, and incentivize. Try to make sure that the content published on the central part of your website meets those expectations.
Remember: your clients need you to solve a problem, optimize their work, or earn more money, for example.
Give them a chance.