MKTG Week 6: The Digital Face of your Brand

Introduction

No matter the product or service you offer, your website is one of your most important tools. Think of your company's general website as the digital face of your brand; It's where people search to learn more about your company, find what they're looking for from you, make a purchase, and decide if and how your company can serve them. A visually appealing, functional, buyer-centric website is a major factor in setting your brand up for success generating more leads (potential customers), more customers, and more repeat customers. 

In today's blog post, we will dive into what a buyer-centric website is, and some of its most successful features and how they can benefit your business. 

What is a Buyer-Centric Website? 

Rather than a website that prioritizes promoting the company's products or services, a buyer-centric website is generally more successful because it prioritizes the potential customers and repeat customers using it. A buyer-centric website includes many features and design choices that provide the user with 
a smooth, quick, and straightforward process that satisfies all their needs, from learning more about the brand to tailoring the settings to their preferences to making a purchase decision against competitors. 
A well-designed buyer-centric website gives a customer the most enjoyable experience possible. 

Purpose of a Buyer-Centric Website 

Allow me to begin by saying, I am not at all proficient in Web or User Interface/ User Experience design, as I have not yet taken those courses for my major. However, I am aware that it is a very profitable area of the industry because it is not a simple or swift process. This isn't to say that the other areas of design aren't the same way (don't worry, fellow designers, I understand that completely)! However, a website involves coding (even a designer should be aware of the basics), many interfaces to work on, and particularly in the case of a buyer-centric website, must achieve many specific results:

- Give the buyer an easy-to-navigate, efficient, engaging website experience.

- Communicate the story, purpose, and identity of the brand in a cohesive and visually appealing       
  manner.

- Deliver the brand's information and features of their products/ services to leads/ customers. 

- Allow easy opportunities to personalize the website for each individual's experience. 


Features of a Buyer-Centric Website

To achieve these goals, designers carefully choose intentional features and design elements for the website. 

Customer-focused Content
The content of the website, from imagery to text, is more focused on aiding the customer and their experience rather than advertising the product and/or service. Information is more valuable to the customer than promotion. A website that educates people on their brand, their products/ service, and how they can help the customer leads them to view the company as more reliable and trustworthy overall. 

User-Friendly 
A user-friendly website is easy for even those with the most basic of technological skills to function and find what they're looking for. By creating a simple and effective design that transitions naturally from one interface to the next in a sensible order, this provides a clear sense of direction to the user. Easily recognizable "buttons" and icons help the user easily determine where to go next. 

Relevant, Good-Quality Imagery 
Whether it's vector-based or photo imagery, any successful website includes images to engage the user. The images must be carefully chosen however; They should be the best quality possible to maintain a positive, professional view of your business, and relevant to your purpose and products. Images of what your business offers are of course an easy decision, but other great images might hint to the background of your story, such as where your products come from, or images related to your brand's values and purpose. 

Interaction with the Website and Others 
A designer can ensure the website is appealing for the customer by providing a variety of related engaging functions. In terms of engaging with the website itself, these functions could include embedded videos, sound clips, or links to the company's social media or other resources. Another strong idea is to encourage engagement beyond the online scope. Social media, review forums or blogs can create a community among customers and allow them to contact representatives of the business. 

Share-Worthy, Current Content 
A good designer pays attention not only to current trends, but the wants and needs of their target audience. Depending on the people the website is intended to reach, different types of media for communicating the content are necessary- whether that be primarily video-based or text-based, for example.

If you recall, we recently discussed the effects of the World Wide Rave phenomenon in this blog, when a company's story is known and shared by a broad span of people. If possible, a buyer-centric website should include relevant content that has the potential to go viral, perfectly tailored towards the target audience who may feel inclined to share it with other like-minded people. 
 
Customizable Settings 
A buyer-centric website should provide opportunities for the user to customize their personal account on the site to their individual preferences. From creating a wish list to save products they are interested in for later, to adding their personal information and preferred payment methods, custom settings make a user's experience more efficient and enjoyable. 

Distinct and Cohesive Brand Identity
One of the principal functions of any website is to clearly demonstrate the brand's unique identity. Image, color, typography, and content choices are a few of the things designers must decide on to communicate the brand personality through the website. It's also important that every single interface of the site is cohesive in displaying the same visual identity. 

Clear Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
Another important element of marketing, and a buyer-centric website, is a clear Call to Action (CTA). A well-constructed CTA encourages a specific immediate next step for the target audience, whether that be to visit another site to learn more, make a purchase, contribute a donation, or any other response supportive of the business. CTAs help guide customers and provoke the company's desired results. 

Conclusion 

A buyer-centric website places priority where every business's primary focus should be- the people. From leads to repeat customers, no company should ever forget that their buyers are crucial to helping them thrive every single day. Create a website that makes them happy, and you will create more overall success and happiness for your company. 

Until next time!
Marielle





















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