Here’s a statistic that stopped me in my tracks…
According to HubSpot’s State of Inbound report, 26% of companies say that managing their website is one of their top marketing challenges.
Which suggests that additional companies might find it at least somewhat challenging as well.
This is great news for B2B writers.
There are so many opportunities to help your clients or prospects who have this problem. And you might be able to shift into working on a new type of project while doing it — read on to find out how.
Start by Figuring Out What’s Wrong
Maybe your client will tell you outright that they’re having trouble with some aspect of their website. In that case, start the conversation!
But not every client will be so forthright. Plus, difficulty in managing a website may not be visibly obvious (I’ll tell you how to handle that scenario in just a moment). So if there’s someone whose website you’d like to work on, you’ll need to be proactive by making suggestions.
Begin by doing a website audit.
A Site Audit is basically reviewing a website and determining what could be improved. There are all kinds of factors to consider. Are they using the right keywords? Does the copy make sense? How’s the design? Is it easy to find the company’s contact information?
There are a number of elements to review. Click here for a 35-point checklist you can use, and feel free to add or substitute your own points as well.
While Site Audits are a service you can — and in most cases, should — charge a client for, you’re not going to do that here. Why? Because you’re using it now as a diagnostic tool to figure out what to propose to someone you want to work for.
With that in mind, you have two options for doing the audit. First, you can do something very basic and keep your notes to yourself. If you choose that route, then you’ll just talk to the client or prospect about your findings. Or, you can create a complete report and give it to them.
This free gift will have a lot of value for them…
And it will make them more likely to engage your services for doing the work you suggest for site improvement.
(For more information on how to do Site Audits, click here.)
But what happens if you do your audit and nothing seems blatantly wrong with the site?
It’s simple — just flat-out ask them. You can even refer to the HubSpot statistic and say, “Are you having trouble?”
Three Possible Paths
Suppose they say yes. What then?
It’ll depend on their exact needs, of course, as well as the type of work you want to take on. But here are a few approaches you might take.
- Do for them whatever needs to be done.
Maybe the client needs more content on the site. Maybe they need stronger calls-to-action, or better SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Or maybe some of the pages are simply outdated…
Whatever the problem is (or are), you can simply propose fixing it for them. After all, you’re the professional writer!
Keep an eye out here for retainer opportunities. For example, if the client needs more content, you might propose writing a set number of articles for them on a monthly basis.
There’s one thing to keep in mind here, though.
“Managing” (as used in the HubSpot report) is a vague term. So there’s always the possibility that your client needs help managing their website on a technical level. It’s up to you whether you want to take that on.
- Write up the solution for them.
Maybe you decide you don’t want to provide the solution for them outright. Or maybe the client wants to be able to take care of the website themselves.
In that case, you might write the solution for them. You could create a style guide filled with best practices for all their advertising and content.
If the client is seeking tech help, you can offer to write that out for them, too. Again, think “e-book” rather than “technical instructions.” Aim for simple and reader-friendly. The information you give them should be easy to understand and implement.
- Teach them to do it.
Here’s another great way to help the client help themselves. If they’re looking for a more visual solution, consider teaching them how to manage the site.
You can offer to do a live training. If training them in person is impractical, how about offering to create a webinar or video for them? Both of these are less uncomfortable for many people than public speaking, and you don’t even have to appear on camera if you don’t want to.
Teaching clients helps you create authority and expert status for yourself, making it easier for you to grow your business. It also provides a natural segue into consulting or informational marketing, if you’re interested in either of those things.
Plus, both are extremely popular formats. More and more companies are using webinars as lead generation tools. And video is expected to account for 80% of all web traffic by 2019!
So if you decide to go either of these routes, you’ll not only be helping your client. You’ll also be creating a portfolio sample in a format that you’re likely to be asked for in the future. Talk about a win-win.
The bottom line is this:
If your client needs help with their website in any way, you’re well-positioned to propose and provide a solution.
