Using Your Website to Develop Long Lasting Relationships

photo courtesy of Nils Geylen

Remember those websites from the 90’s that were only updated when their company address changed and the messaging was all about them? The homepage would say “Welcome to Our Home Page” followed by four paragraphs about how great they think they are. Try acting like that at a party or social event and you’ll have a hard time getting people to want to hang around you or build a relationship with you (Brian Reagan explains it best http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiUsfEkVRDY ).

We build relationships differently these days with the creation of social media, blogging, online video, etc. and our relationships ultimately have a demand for quality content instantly. Now there is a wonderful opportunity to deliver what people want and to use content to develop strong, progressive, deep, and lasting relationships through your website.

When you walk into a social setting, you are going to avoid engaging with the people who talk about themselves. Rather, you’re going to find the individuals who you can have a narrative, engaging, and meaningful conversations with so you both leave fulfilled. Ever met someone new and left saying to someone else, “he’s a good guy to talk to. I look forward to hanging out with him again”? This is the experience you want with your website. Writing content can’t be a task of just putting words on a page to fill up space, but rather a way of establishing ongoing communications and experiences between your company and your website visitors. Having content strategies that are strategic, measured, and planned with meaningful substance is going to create an experience that will want people to come back to your website for more.

Just like when you meet someone new at a party, you’re just starting the relationship and can easily evaluate whether to move forward with it or not. Your website visitors are doing the same thing. Of people who visit your website, 10% are ready to get engaged with you, but if you’re consistent with building those online relationship with value-added content, over the course of 12-months that number will go up to 87% (source: B2B magazine, 2004).

To get people engaged with your website, Facebook profile, or Twitter account, you need meaningful and consistent content. The days are gone when simply updating your website once or twice a year with new content was acceptable. Consider this, if your friend only called you once a year for five minutes it’s going to be difficult to develop a close relationship beyond the surface. The same thing is true with your website content. If you’re updating your website, blog, Facebook, and Twitter accounts with persuasive, educational, and thought-provoking content on a frequent basis, you are on a good path of getting people engaged with your website and ultimately your company.