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"Bwired is a leading website technology company. We help our customers make rapid, substantial improvements to the performance of their organisations by addressing issues in website strategy, technology and design."
Source : Bwired
Website Strategy for Organisations in the Corporate Services Industry
Corporate Services is also known as :
Advanced Corporate Services,
Business Services Corporation,
Complete Corporate Services,
Corporate Services Inc,
Corporate IT Services,
Corporate Benefits Service,
Corporate Business Service,
Corporate Business Services,
Corporate Consulting Service,
Corporate Data Services,
Corporate Investment Services,
Corporate Services Industry,
Corporate Network Services,
Corporate Service,
Corporate Service Companies,
Corporate Service Group,
Corporate Service Inc,
Corporate Service Management,
Corporate Service Manager,
Corporate Service Provider,
Corporate Service Providers,
Corporate Services,
Corporate Services Company,
Corporate Services Corporation,
Corporate Services Management,
Corporate Services Provider,
Corporate Services Software,
Corporate Services System,
Corporate Support Service,
Corporate Support Services.
“Website strategy is the key to making your website “work
smarter, not harder””
– Sam Saltis
Introduction
According to comScore’s World Metrix measurement service, the global internet
population is now more than a billion - not including users accessing the
internet from their mobile phones. The Asia-Pacific regions accounts for 41% of
all users. Increasingly, time-poor consumers are turning to the internet to
learn about organisations, products and services. In only a few years the
internet has evolved to become the most popular way to communicate with
customers, prospects, investors, employees, the media, and the many other
stakeholders a company has.
As marketing budgets shrink and the Corporate Services industry aims to
leverage their websites as a relatively inexpensive alternative to traditional
marketing tools, website strategy is becoming more and more important. In an
industry built on reputation and relationships, where business is largely
referral-based, website strategy must focus on enhancing credibility,
strengthening existing relationships, promoting word of mouth, generating leads
and improving operational efficiency. As such, this whitepaper aims to provide
these organisations with information regarding website strategy which can assist
in achieving these goals.
1. Enhancing Credibility
According to the Edelman Trust Barometer 2009, Trust in business in Australia
is in decline with 74% of survey respondents indicating they trust business less
than they did last year. While trust is an essential part of any client
relationship, it is especially important in the Corporate Services industry, as
organisations deal with important aspects of their clients’ lives. Organisations
can build trust by enhancing credibility, increasing the persuasiveness of brand
communications. According to Herbig and Milewicz (1997, p.26), “any signal will
be evaluated by the receiver by, among other factors, the credibility of the
source. The higher the credibility, the more persuasive the source.”
A website that offers multiple sources of accurate, timely information of
relevance to the target audience will enhance credibility. Edelman’s data
suggest a strategy of “public engagement” - a fundamental shift in both
operations and communications. Trust in CEOs and other traditional forms of
corporate communications is low, while the data shows that 39 per cent of
respondents will trust information from company employees and peers, and 41 per
cent trust what we call ‘a person like me’. Tools such as blogs, forums,
whitepapers and resource centres allow organisations to demonstrate thought
leadership, engage customers and prospects and provide detailed information,
while analytical tools such as Google Analytics, coreDNA Statistics or Omniture
allow organisations to ensure the information contained in these arenas is of
relevance, by providing detailed information regarding visitors and how they
find, interact with and eventually leave the site. Using a
content management system (CMS) that provides the organisation with
full control over content will also ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the
information provided.
Enhancing credibility has the added effect of strengthening brand loyalty.
Erdman and Swait (1998) argue that brand credibility creates added expected
utility, motivating repeat purchase of the brand and producing brand loyalty.
Kim, Morris and Swait (2008, p.103) support this argument, suggesting that
“brand credibility, which embraces the personal history of brand experience, is
the “initiator” of establishing brand loyalty”, which in turn, serves to
strengthen the client relationship.
2. Strengthening Relationships
According to Aaker (1991), strong brand relationships must be cultivated if
an organization is to create and maintain high brand equity. This is especially
the case in the Corporate Services industry, where strong, positive, mutually
beneficial client relationships are critical to the success of the organisation.
Phillips (2006, p.34) supports this argument, suggesting that “only those
[organisations] which lever their value through relationships can generate
wealth.”
A website that enhances the client/prospect online experience through
usability, functionality and interactivity will serve to strengthen client
relationships.
To increase usability, organisations should ensure the user interface is as
intuitive as possible, restrain from information overload, group things
appropriately, maintain consistency in the layout throughout the website and use
appropriate graphics and language in order to avoid confusion and increase the
effectiveness of communications.
In order to ensure appropriate functionality of the website, careful
consideration should be put into the needs of clients and prospects, and
relevant information and tools be provided to satisfy those needs. By providing
tools such as forums, online polls, surveys, and the ability to comment on
blogs, organisations can also increase interactivity, thereby
increasing
engagement and strengthening client relationships.
3. Promoting Positive Word of Mouth
According to Herbig and Milewicz (1997, p.27) “reputation is one of the
primary contributors to perceived quality…and value…a firm with a good overall
reputation owns a valuable asset - “goodwill”. Goodwill is particularly
based. As such, promoting positive word of mouth is critical to organisational
success.
A website that communicates clear, consistent brand messages is likely to
encourage the promotion of positive word of mouth. Consistency in communications
provides a consistent and relevant representation of the brand to all external
audiences. It also has the effect of strengthening organisational culture,
ensuring brand vision and promise are communicated, understood and upheld
throughout the organisation, providing internal focus and clarity and creating a
common understanding and purpose. This in turn creates positive brand
associations among external publics, as externally the brand is represented by
the services that the organisation provides and the impact that it makes in
advancing its mission in the community, and the brand is reflected in the way
the organisation’s employees deliver these services and how they interact with
each other and with external stakeholders. Tom Peters, revered management
consultant, supports this argument, emphasising the importance of clear and
consistent communications in strengthening organisational culture in order to
build client relationships, suggesting that "our employees are our first
customers, and our most important customers". Consistency in communications can
be facilitated via intranets and assisted by content management systems that
provide centralised document storage, with varying levels of access and
authority to edit/upload.
Furthermore, while traditionally it has been expensive to build positive
brand awareness, a website and its associated marketing tools can provide an
inexpensive alternative to traditional media. Search
engine optimisation (SEO) can enable maximised visibility and
accessibility, generating increased website traffic through the use of search
engines such as Google, Yahoo! and Bing. Creating hyperlinks, using meta tags
and regularly updating information to ensure pages are dynamic rather than
static are some of the ways organisations can increase SEO. Tools such as
newsletters, personalised pages and email marketing including links to direct
recipients back to specific web pages are additional means through which
organisations can leverage their website to maximise positive brand awareness.
4. Generating Leads
As a high proportion of business income, lead generation is a common
objective for organisations in many industries. In an industry where business is
largely referral-based, organisations must work hard to maximise lead
generation, and websites have a huge potential to help.
Organisations can boost lead generation by providing visitor registration
options such as subscription to newsletters or personalised pages which help
build prospect databases. Value exchange is key, and organisations must always
follow through on promises made. A prospect may not require your services now,
however they may require them in the future, and building trust and staying top
of mind increases the chances of making it into their consideration set when
they do decide take that step.
A website that is search engine-friendly and has a layout conducive to
motivating call to action can dramatically increase lead generation. Qualifying
needs by providing a variety of options for calls to action, and using
analytical tools to track conversion rates and determine which calls to action
the target audience is responding to can then assist in refining and developing
the most appropriate mechanisms.
5. Improving Operational Efficiency
Organisations in the Corporate Services industry must often deal with copious
amounts of documentation, which requires handling by multiple parties and
coordination with multiple databases. Improving operational efficiency in this
particular area can dramatically improve overall operational efficiency. A
website that streamlines data collection, storage and processing functionality
by providing a centralised area for documentation can dramatically improve
operational efficiency by reducing the opportunity cost associated with handling
costs, allowing for optimisation of resources. Integration with relevant systems
and databases will increase coordination and maximise overall organisational
effectiveness.
6. What can coreDNA offer?
Our technology, coreDNA is a fully scalable, integrated website management
platform which puts the user in control of content. The flexibility of the
platform enables use across single or multiple channels, including websites,
microsites, intranets and extranets, allowing for use in line with single or
multiple systems already in place. Built with a focus on business, coreDNA is
developed around our RISE model, an implementation methodology that ensures
success in the online environment by building websites which achieve measurable
results in the areas of Research, Image, Sales, and (operational) Efficiency.
Our Research tools provide businesses with the ability to generate
information about visitors, customers and users through the use of specific
research questions and polls, or by monitoring each screen choice and
formulating detailed data on visitor usage which can then be used to formulate
strategy. For example, Usage Statistics captures information about customers and
prospects, providing detailed information regarding how they find, interact with
and eventually a website, helping to determine whether or not goals and
objectives are being reached, and providing valuable feedback which ensures
content remains relevant.
Our Image solutions provide businesses with marketing tools to ensure
communications accurately reflect the branding and positioning of the
organization, essential for success both online and offline, optimizing the
flexibility for managing image and marketing opportunities via the website and
ensuring tools are in place to efficiently and effectively communicate with all
key stakeholders. For example, Weblog allows organisations to share specialized
expertise with customers and prospects while encouraging interactive dialogue
with regular visitors. This interaction is the key to creating a community of
interest among your online demographic.
Our Sales tools provide the opportunity to increase sales and generate leads
via your website. Fully integrated modules enable sales to be maximized and data
to be seamlessly integrated, building prospect databases and enhancing
communications while reducing resource requirements and building the client
relationship. For example, Visitor Registration uses a standard (non customised)
form to allow visitors to register a username and password to access the Secure
Member Pages of the website, allowing authorised users to view pages to which
they have been given access. Registered contact details are automatically
recorded and stored in the database for internal reference, and can be
integrated with other systems and used for marketing or other purposes.
Our (Operational) Efficiency solutions allow for centralisation of
documentation and integration with back office systems, contributing towards the
creation of paperless organisations, breaking down barriers between and within
stakeholders and creating a seamless workflow, and improving operational
efficiency, thereby reducing costs. For example, File Manager provides a highly
scalable, secure, centralized data storage area for individual groups such as
staff, clients and suppliers to easily store and retrieve key documents and
files. The module maintains file versioning to preserve document integrity, can
be set for viewing by authorized individuals or groups to keep confidential
information secure, has an advanced search function, and allows for document
permission to be assigned to authorized users to edit.
oreDNA is the next generation of strategic business software. Regardless of
the systems you have in place, coreDNA provides the opportunity to add
flexibility and redirect strategy in line with business goals and objectives.
7. Conclusion
Strategy is the key to maximising return on investment online. A website
should not stand alone. By integrating online with offline, as well as
integrating with business systems and processes, resources can be optimised and
maximum potential reached.
By offering multiple sources of accurate, timely information of relevance to
the target audience; enhancing the client/prospect online experience through
usability, functionality and interactivity; communicating branding and
positioning clearly and consistently; creating a search engine-friendly layout
conducive to motivating call to action; and streamlining data collection,
storage and processing functionality via a website and its associated marketing
tools, organisations in the Corporate Services industry will be more likely to
enhance credibility, strengthen existing relationships, promote word of mouth,
generate leads and improve operational efficiency, thereby maximising return on
8. References
Aaker, D. A., (1991) “Managing Brand Equity: Capitalizing on the Value of a
Brand Name” New York: Free Press, pp.17-39
Erdem, T. and Swait, J., (1998), “Brand Equity as a Signaling Phenomenon,”
Journal of Consumer Psychology, Volume 7, Issue 2, pp. 131–157.
González-Herrero A. and Smith S., (2008), “Crisis Communications Management
on the Web: How Internet-Based Technologies are Changing the Way Public
Relations Professionals Handle Business Crises,” Journal of Contingencies &
Crisis Management, Volume 16, Issue 3, pp.143-153
Herbig, P. and Milewicz, J., (1997), “The Relationship of Reputation and
Credibility to Brand Success,” Pricing Strategy and Practice, Volume 5, Issue 1,
pp. 25 – 29 Kim, J., Morris, J. D., and Swait, J. (2008), “Antecedents of True
Brand Loyalty”, Journal of Advertising, Volume 37, Issue 2, pp. 99-117
Phillips, D., (2006), “Relationships are the Core Value for Organisations: A
Practitioner Perspective,” Corporate Communications: An International Journal,
Volume 11, Issue 1, pp.
34 - 42