Your website is one of your biggest marketing assets. It’s usually your first touch point for a prospective client. Back in the day, perhaps a brochure or even a receptionist was the source of a first impression. Today your website plays a critical role in presenting your brand, what you do and who you serve.
People can tell a lot about you by what’s on your website. Think about how much you learn by visiting a website. What did you like? Did you find what you were looking for? Was it too much to read or too busy with graphics? Was the language clear and interesting? What held your interest or encouraged you to take action, going to other pages or submitting a form or picking up the phone?
A website needs to be designed to speak to your target audience. Today, you have about 3 seconds to make an impression or your visitor will go elsewhere.
But have you ever thought about the role of your website to attract talent?
Hiring in today’s economy is challenging. The unemployment rate is low so our clients are commonly challenged with finding quality talent for openings.
One of our clients recently had an employee submit her resignation. Having an opening in a critical customer-facing position was concerning. How long would they be looking to find a quality candidate to fill this key role?
The client launched their recruiting process focused on NOT recruiting professionals from their industry. They have had great success in the past recruiting from non-related industries and training them.
Quickly in the process, a stand-out candidate was identified. She came prepared for her interview with a TON of knowledge about the company, her role in serving the customer, and impressed the management team with her understanding of the opportunity. When asked how she prepared for the interview, she explained she had reviewed the website in detail. She was hired, and is proving an asset to the company!
Visiting the website (by For Marketing Matters) enabled this job candidate to understand the business and its unique model. She learned about the company, the management team, the products and the role she would play to deliver on the values that are important to the company. She had a solid feel for who they were, what they stood for and how she would fit in. While other candidates came in less prepared, she leveraged this critical marketing asset as a way to market herself and her qualifications.
When you are thinking about the quality of your website and what you’d like to have on it, consider the fact that vendors, partners, community members, friends in interest groups, and potential employees may visit your site too. Are you presenting who you are and what you offer in a clear and compelling way?