Big Picture<\/b> – See your\u00a0entire web eco-system in a single view. I don\u2019t know about you, but I sometimes struggle to understand how everything works together unless I can physically see it all on a single page.<\/span><\/p>\n Cohesion<\/b> – As a consequence of seeing everything laid out in a single view, it\u2019s much easier to figure out how to connect everything into one cohesive story and customer experience. It also helps you see what it\u2019s like to move through the sales funnel from your customers\u2019 point of view.<\/span><\/p>\n Focus<\/b> – This approach doubles as a shiny-object deflector. Everything you and your team work on next year will fit neatly into one of 3 buckets. With a solid plan, there\u2019s no room for distractors.<\/span><\/p>\n No Gaps<\/b> – What aren\u2019t<\/em> you thinking about? What did you forget? This blueprint ensures all the major bases are covered. <\/span><\/p>\n Curious yet?<\/span><\/p>\n First, open up your favorite mind mapping tool. If you don\u2019t already have one, my favorite is MindMeister<\/a>. (Not affiliated with them, I just like them.)<\/span><\/p>\n A mind mapping tool is the only way to complete this exercise. \u00a0A sheet of paper or whiteboard won\u2019t be big enough for what you\u2019re about to do. And drawing tools like Visio and PowerPoint will make this exercise too unwieldy.<\/span><\/p>\n In the center of your blank mind map, write down the No. 1 objective of your website:<\/span><\/p>\n But make it specific. As in, generate $300M in revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n From there, add these 3 prongs:<\/span><\/p>\n Right now, your mind map should look like this:<\/span><\/p>\n How will you get people TO your website?<\/span><\/p>\n Start adding each and every marketing channel you use (or will use) to drive new or repeat customers to your website. I\u2019ve listed a handful of examples below, but your list probably includes other channels such as affiliate marketing, tradeshows, billboards, mailers, guy standing on corner twirling a sign, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n Don\u2019t add any prongs to your marketing channels just yet. You\u2019ll do that later.<\/span><\/p>\n How will you get people to STAY on your website (or come back)?<\/span><\/p>\n Next, add these 3 prongs to Engagement:<\/span><\/p>\n Tools<\/b> \u2013 using the term loosely \u2013 includes anything your customers might interact with: games, quizzes, ROI calculators, estimators, wish lists, contests, personalization, self-service tools, message boards \/ forums, case studies, etc. This is how you will entertain them, inform them, support them, and\/or get them to come back for more.<\/span><\/p>\n Storytelling<\/b> is the narrative of your brand \u2013 told through messaging, words, pictures, videos, slideshows, colors, and anything else that evokes emotion. Simply, what is the story you want your customers to take away? <\/span><\/p>\n Surprise & delight<\/b> doesn\u2019t happen by accident. Make sure you have a spot for it in your roadmap and budget. I\u2019ve got another post<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>with ideas for surprising and delighting your customers.<\/span><\/p>\n If the primary purpose of a\u00a0tool or piece of content is to generate a lead, result in\u00a0a donation, create a sale, or reduce costs \u2014 save those. They\u2019ll go in the Conversion bucket.<\/span><\/p>\n How will you get people to TAKE ACTION on your website?<\/span><\/p>\n Add these\u00a02 prongs to Conversion:<\/span><\/p>\n Persuasion<\/b> includes every behavioral psychology \u201ctrick\u201d in the book that convinces your customers to take action: social proof, scarcity, authority, reputation, loss aversion, and on and on. <\/span><\/p>\n Practically, persuasion tactics take the form of coupons, secret sales, customer ratings & reviews, testimonials, limited time offers, bonus gifts, limited quantities, quantity discounts, a solution to their problem, etc. Google \u201cconversion persuasion\u201d for more ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n Optimization<\/b>. Because launching never means done<\/em>. Here is where you\u2019ll put your strategies for A\/B testing, usability enhancements, accessibility enhancements, and performance optimization (e.g., reduce page load times). The bottom of the funnel\u00a0isn’t the only area\u00a0where you’ll want to conduct A\/B testing or evaluate usability \u2014 but it should be\u00a0happening here at minimum.<\/span><\/p>\n As you work through this exercise, you may find that the line between Persuasion and Optimization is too blurry for your organization. If that\u2019s the case, combine them into one \u201cPersuasion & Optimization\u201d bubble and go from there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now that you have the framework in place, next comes the roll-up-your-sleeves part. And the part that takes more than 5 minutes (sorry!).<\/span><\/p>\n Every organization is different, so it\u2019ll be up to you decide what the next level of prongs look like. <\/span>Maybe you organize them by area of the site, target audience, product, industry, or user goal. <\/span><\/p>\n If there isn\u2019t an obvious way to do this, don\u2019t worry about coming up with the buckets now. Document all of the known tactics first, then organize them into logical groups later.<\/span><\/p>\n Once you have all the tactics in place, next\u00a0identify the key activities\u00a0for each, such as:<\/p>\n To get the gears in your brain turning, here is what a Conversion\u00a0roadmap\u00a0might look like for a B2B consulting organization\u2019s website:<\/span><\/p>\n Keep returning to your mind map throughout the year \u2014 to add more detail, color-code completed projects, add parking lot ideas, or break it off into new mind maps. Many mind mapping tools allow you to share your maps with others, so you could even use it as a communication tool for your team or across departments.<\/p>\n\n\nThe 5-Minute Website Strategy<\/b><\/h2>\n
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![\"website](\"http:\/\/www.juneux.com\/images\/website_strategy.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Top of the Sales Funnel<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"website](\"http:\/\/www.juneux.com\/images\/website_strategy_marketing.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Middle of the Sales Funnel<\/b><\/h2>\n
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![\"website](\"http:\/\/www.juneux.com\/images\/website_strategy_engagement.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Bottom of the Sales Funnel<\/b><\/h2>\n
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![\"website](\"http:\/\/www.juneux.com\/images\/website_strategy_conversion.jpg\")
<\/p>\nNow Take Your Roadmap to the Next Level<\/b><\/h2>\n
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![\"example](\"http:\/\/www.juneux.com\/images\/website_strategy_example.jpg\")
<\/p>\nRelated Articles<\/h2>\n\n\n