If you've been with us long enough, you would've noticed our new website and in-app design. Even the old lime green has been removed in favour of a more friendly green (HEX #00a87f).
The website revamp -- which took about 4 months -- has taught our Digital Marketing and Business Innovation teams a lot. Besides a xx increase in leads and customers, we've learned a lot and we're looking to share! Here's a massive checklist to ensure your website is attracting the right visitors and learners.
1. Craft Your Message
When crafting your message, think of the big picture: how will your organisation help your visitors do their job better? Dive into what your organisation really does, and sum it up in one sentence. That's your tagline, and your tagline should go to the top of your home page.
2. Pick A Content Management Platform (CMS)
Think about how your CMS will help you to do your job better. Look at what platforms others are using. A neat tool for this is Wappalyzer, which tells you immediately what tools have been used to build those fancy websites you love.
That brings us to the question: should you be using HubSpot or WordPress? That will really depend on your training organisation's needs - having used both platforms before, here's what I have to say: HubSpot is better for lead generation, campaign management and integration, and social marketing, while WordPress is better built for content creation and design, content management, and e-commerce.
Word of advice: use only one platform at a time for your website. Doing otherwise will only confuse your operations.
3. Simplify Design Process
This not only saves time and money in the long run, it speeds up the process so you'll free up time to add value to your work. Simplify your design process by picking out templates (that are compatible with your chosen CMS platform. If your website's going to live on HubSpot, you can choose from their Template Marketplace or find one on Neambo. If you're using WordPress, you can go to Envato Marketplace or use free/premium themes.
The best part? Most of these templates/themes are mobile-friendly and also require zero to little coding knowledge. Most platforms today also offer easy-to-use WYSIWYG editors and drag-and-drop editing.
Pro tip: when picking a template on these marketplaces, check reviews and ensure support will be readily available as you work on it!
4. Use Buyer Personas
Buyer Personas are descriptive profiles of your target audience -- your ideal customer -- that are based on research on your existing and prospective clients.These persona stories also help you, the education marketer, step into the shoes of your customers-to-be.
Take a look at this example of a Wisenet Buyer Persona:
Most buyer personas also come with memorable names, like "Chief Conan." Buyer personas vary for every company in any industry, and they outline everything from demographics, source of information, challenges, and goals.
5. Create An Online Journey
When a prospective learner lands on your website, what's the first thing you want them to see and learn about you? What steps do you want them to take after that? What information will this interested candidate need to go from enquiry to enrolment and ultimately, course completion?
Make course information available and update it as needed. Showcase core courses on their own pages, and summarise it with benefits. Publish trainer profiles to add personality and appeal.
Use call-to-action buttons should be action driven and state purposes clearly. For a training organisation, a prominent one should be "Apply Now" or "Learn More".
6. Simplify Navigation
Deciding on your fab new website's new navigation can be tough, but here's a simple workaround: categorise pages according to purpose or target group, and limit menu flyouts to 3 levels.
Pro tip: include a top-of-page Student Portal Login button on your website. This makes your student portal easier to access.
7. Share Useful Content And Research
If you have video or audio recordings of course lessons, it might be a good idea to share it on your website. This not only acts as a preview of your lessons; mixed media has been shown to improve engagement on digital platforms, and those sneak-peeks could help establish your reputation as a credible organisation. After all, a key habit of successful people is sharing knowledge and know-how.
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