The Role of the Website in a Marketing Context

Introduction

In the following, we will explain how your website can be optimally used for your marketing. We have already published a blog article on how your website should be structured for successful branding (link to the article). This blog article will examine the topic in more detail.

Marketing vs. Sales: The Fundamental Differences

Similarities and Differences

Marketing can be described as targeted communication aimed at one or more target groups. The sales process is essentially the same, but with the crucial difference that the addressee is not one or more target groups, but rather a single person. Sales and marketing are therefore quite similar.

Key Distinguishing Features

The decisive differences are:

• In sales, the customer usually sits across from you, and you can recognize and try to overcome "objectives" in real-time

• In marketing, no direct adjustment is possible (e.g., spontaneous discounts)

• The average consumer is bombarded with marketing daily, causing most citizens to hardly react to ads anymore

• Ads usually have an extremely low click-through-rate/engagement-rate

• In sales conversations, the salesperson can assess the customer and adjust their offer

The Effectiveness of Marketing Measures

Perception and Impact

In our opinion, many marketing measures only achieve that people notice that Company X is running an advertisement. What is remembered is merely that Company X paid for advertising. This is still good because:

• If Company X has enough money to pay for advertising, it is perceived as successful

• This strengthens the CI (Corporate Identity)

Measurability of Marketing Effects

Performance marketing usually only measures one effect (instant results like an increase in sales) of at least two effects. Example Apple:

• Brand value of over a trillion dollars

• Not directly attributable to specific marketing measures

• Steve Jobs' charisma also contributed to the brand value

From Good to Groundbreaking Marketing

The Challenge of Effective Marketing

Many companies don't conduct effective marketing, and sometimes they have no idea why a marketing measure was successful or how to reproduce the result.

Innovation and Risk

Truly good marketing has a lot to do with innovation:

• Genius on the brink of absolute failure

• Either complete flop or outstandingly good

• Groundbreaking marketing requires willingness to take risks

• But: Controlled, good marketing is possible through analytical approach

The Website as a Marketing Tool

Integration of Website, Marketing and Branding

The website conveys the company's branding and is simultaneously a marketing tool:

• One-to-many communication

• Presentation of the offer

• Part of the customer experience

Holistic Customer Experience

All experiences that the customer has with the company must be coordinated:

• From the first email to product consumption

• Consistent design

• Unified message

• Service blueprint and sequential event method for optimization

Conclusion

As Rory Sutherland (Vice Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Group) expressed in an interview in 2024: "If all small businesses would make their marketing 30% more effective, GDP would increase by 2-3%."