AWeber posted a new case study, “Market a Small Business Via Email & eBooks” this week.  It highlights Beginning-Bodybuilding.com, a fitness and body building business focused to beginners.

Marc David, the owner, uses weekly newsletters and a series of autoresponders to keep prospects and paying customers informed about current events and promotions.

AWeber reviewed and made recommendations on Marc’s email and autoresponder campaign.  This case study highlights how autoresponders can be used in a business to respond to prospects.

While the case study talks about email marketing, there are several things for Marc’s company to consider when it comes to his website.

The website is setup as one big advertisement. 

Marc might consider thinking about his intended audience - people who are new to fitness and bodybuilding.  The fitness industry is filled with gimmicks and there are tons of websites like this one - just an ad.

Selling products is about developing relationships especially in a difficult industry such as the one he is in.

A person who is searching the Internet about fitness and body building is looking for information, not another book, cd, or program.  Mark might want to draw visitors in by adding informational content to his website.  He already has some content - his archive of newsletters.

Some suggestions:

  • Add a searchable newsletter archive.
  • Change the home page to look like an information portal, not an advertisement.  Tell visitors what you are about - body building for beginners.
  • Place products under a “Product” section.
  • Create a resource page.  Exchange links with complementary websites.
  • Make subscription form for newsletter and autoresponders more prominent.

Reduce the length of the webpage.

Web pages differ from a physical book or newspaper.  You have more horizontal space than you do vertical.  Web links within the text and on a menu allows a user to find the information he or she is interested in quickly.

For this reason, visitors read a web page differently from a newspaper or book.

  • Make your web pages shorter in length so visitors don’t have to scroll so much.  Split your content up into multiple pages.
  • Use a two column layout.  One column for your page content; the other column for links.
  • Put your product graphic in the column of links with a link to the product page so visitors can quickly go to the product information.
  • Put a newsletter form in the column of links so a visitor can subscribe at any time.
  • Use links in your content to related pages.  Every time you use the product name in your content, have it be a hyperlink to the product description page.

Adverisement Pages

A website that looks like beginning-bodybuilding.com does have it’s place.

This type of website is great if you are using it for supplemental information only.  This means you are using other forms of advertising to build the relationship with a prospective customer and the web page is a link for them to find out about your product only.