5 ways B2B websites fail to engage audiences

Don't let your B2B site lose you leads by making these five basic mistakes

There are literally millions of B2B websites out there but not all of them are as efficient as they could be. The purpose of creating and managing a B2B website is mainly to engage with your audience and turn them from passive viewers into active clients.

Most of the B2B websites don’t respect a set of basic rules that ensure success. They usually focus on the wrong thing, forgetting about the audience. A B2B website is, of course, a way for you to present and advertise your business but it should be much more than that.

If you want to engage the audience that stops by your website, you should pay close attention to our 5 ways to make your B2B website an efficient tool.

Tell YOUR Story

This is a key factor for the success of your website and an aspect that is often neglected. Don’t throw a ton of figures, facts and statistics at your audience, you need to tell a story. We all love good stories because that’s how we grew up and developed since childhood, adults love stories just as much as kids do.

Make sure you tell the story of your brand in a friendly, funny and engaging tone and your audience will start reacting to it! People by from people therefore bringing your brand to life and giving it some personality so people can connect to you and your business.

Talk to your target audience

Do you know who your audience is?

Are you talking to them directly?

Your website should not be a platform for boasting, it needs to be a source of useful information presented simply and clearly to your target audience.

Adapt your tone, your appearance and your products and services to your target audience.

Never forget who you are talking to! As you know, most of the B2B websites we surf every day look more like a boring presentation than an engaging invitation to engage.

Opt-In Features

Many B2B websites neglect to include opt-in offers or e-mails. Opt-in features are a great marketing tool that will make your audience stay connected and active. Make sure you include opt-in features that visitors can easily sign up to, as it will help your business along the way.

Opt-in offers have the advantage of targeting your audience because recipients request to be sent promotional information about your products or services.

This is a simple marketing technique that will get your audience engaged and make them actively involved in the development of your business. A successful B2B website must include a special section or banner dedicated to opt-in features that your visitors can easily access and sign up to.

Mobile Optimisation

A non-mobile optimised B2B website will lose a lot of visitors who access the Internet on their commute or late at night before going to sleep.

Research shows, 55% of internet users access the web on their mobile device and only 42% use a traditional desktop. The statistics are clear, the world is rapidly moving towards mobile.

It’s vital to understand your audience’s search behaviour and there are plenty of digital marketing tools you should look into. Google offers two features that will help you understand how, where and from what device your audience reaches you. You should use Google Keyword Planner and Google Webmaster Tools to help you discover the patterns that emerge within your audience.

Content!

This might not come as a great surprise to many people but poor content will drive your audience away in no time at all.

An efficient B2B website should be easy to read and follow. Your audience should quickly find the information they are trying to discover, so make it easy for them to do so.

There are vital details you should provide while making sure that they are clearly visible for even first-time visitors.

Contact details: Your audience should get instant access to your contact details, so make sure this section is clearly visible and easy to reach. This applies to all websites but especially to those dedicated to e-commerce and online marketing. In a day with instant access to almost anything and anyone, social media channels are a great way to create an audience and a method for them to engage with you.

About Us: This is the section where you tell your audience the most engaging success story they have ever heard, which means you should make it memorable.

Opt-In: Make it bold, make it clear and make it fun! These are the main ingredients to the recipe of a great opt-in offer that will get your audience engaged and active. Allow them to decide what categories they are interested in and create opt-in offers for all your main sections or products if you want to have a successful B2B website.

Friendly Blog: Create friendly, relevant and high-quality content and invite your audience to take part in your journey.

Don’t neglect content and ensure that you deliver the necessary information in an appealing format that is easy to browse through. Your audience will surely thank you for saving them the time of browsing through tons of useless data they don’t care about. A search function on your blog is essential and make sure it works well.

An audience that is engaged and active is more likely to choose you over your competition, so avoid these 5 common mistakes when setting up your B2B website.

If you provide them with an experience, they will return again and again. Your audience will become your main supporter and partner if you manage to make them care about the product or services you offer. A lot of B2B websites fail to engage their visitors, and you should strive to not be one of them.

Stay fresh and relevant and don’t forget to speak the language of your audience. Avoid these 5 ways B2B websites fail to engage the audience, and you are all set for a successful path ahead!