Are you looking to change things up a little bit? Whether your business is taking off, or going through a rough patch, everyone needs a little change now and then. With regards to the Web especially, if you're not moving forward, you're moving backwards. But what needs to change?
Unfortunately, when it comes time to move forward, your perspective may prevent from seeing exactly what needs to be done. The smartest thing you can do at this stage is to get an outside perspective on the situation. Whether it's a trusted friend, an old colleague, or a consulting firm, find someone who can attack the situation from a fresh point of view. Here are five reasons why a new way of looking at things might be just what the doctor ordered.
You know everything about your business. When it comes to your business, who knows it better than you? While this is a strength most of the time, it can be a liability when you try to describe yourself to others. New customers don't know a lot about your company, nor will they be educated on the ins and outs of your industry. It takes someone who is less initiated than yourself to spot the places in your marketing copy where you are assuming the reader knows more than they do, and where the reader might stop to ask, "What exactly do you do?" or "What does this mean?".
You look at your site of a daily basis. When we get used to looking at the same thing over and over again, we miss the small details. It is so easy to miss a typo or broken image when you use a website on a daily basis. But chances are good that it would be the first thing a friend would spot if you asked them to look over your site. This fresh site of eyes is critical after making significant changes to your site, but it's a good idea to get this "sanity check" on a regular basis regardless.
You've said it all before. We've all heard the expression "Don't reinvent the wheel." Humans are problem solvers by nature, but once a problem is solved, we don't particularly enjoy solving it again. After you've talked to hundreds of people about your business, you'll find yourself reaching for the same words time and time again. In your mind, the "problem" of finding the right words to convey your message has already been solved, and by nature, your brain doesn't want to address that problem again. But if these words aren't converting, you need the help of someone who can offer a fresh perspective on your message.
You can't see the big picture from the inside. Here's another expression we're all familiar with: "You can't see the forest for the trees." As we know, the gist of this one is that you can't fully understand the problem, or see the big picture, when you are intimately involved in the details. Someone with an outside perspective will see the whole of your business' message and marketing in a way that you simply cannot. They may spot connections between two pieces of your business that you think of as being entirely different.
The value of a first impression. You'll never see your website the way a first time visitor will. Have you ever noticed that after getting to know someone, they seem very different than they did the first time you met? The experience of coming to your website for the first time, and not knowing where to go or where each link leads, is an experience you simply cannot recreate yourself. You have an intimate knowledge of your site that will color your impression. This is just another reason why seeking the advice and opinions of a first time visitor to your site can be so incredibly valuable.
If you're looking for a fresh perspective, CommonPlaces has a team of Web strategists that, combined, possess decades of online experience. If you would like to talk to our team about taking a look at your Web presence, feel free to contact us.