We have met with so many companies that are still using old style “websites” that are filled with too much company jargon, are boring, not engaging, and offer their consumers no compelling reason to visit their sites again. In the new world of communication are these old style websites the best way to represent companies online? I hope you all agree with me that the answer is a resounding NO!
For this reason, we at EOC have stopped using the term “website” with our clients and now discuss the creation of “engagement platforms”. Engagement platforms create an online presence for a company that presents company information, humanizes the company, and creates an environment for potential or existing customers to engage in a dialogue with the company.
People do business with people they know. If companies create an engaging environment that can draw consumers into a dialogue then it can bring them one step closer to creating a sale.
Jeff Mello, Founder
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This is great Jeff. It’s all about the people, so if we’re not engaging them, what are we doing?
Exactly Nancy! It’s all about engagement!!!
Thank you for commenting.
Jeff, I understand and agree with the sentiments of your post. But engagement platform??? Call a spade a spade. Just because some websites are not good, doesn’t mean that it’s time to dream up a new term which just screams consultant jargon. People know what a website is,there are good ones and bad ones. Let’s leave it at that.
Let’s not call every attempt to communicate thought leadership “consultant jargon.” I find it helpful to use the term engagement platform when discussing with clients the transition from old-school, static, one-way websites to upgraded sites with more engagement functionality. A whole new set of possibilities and expectations exist now, and using the most descriptive terms can help build understanding. I don’t agree with always using the status quo, smallest-common-denominator term.
Thank you Helen for taking the time to share your thoughts. Laura’s response nailed exactly what I am trying to do…open up the conversation to other possibilities beyond the old tried and true methods.
Another example is my post “PE Instead of PR” found here… http://evolutionofcommunication.com/pe-instead-of-pr/
Do I believe Public Relations is going to change the name of their Industry…No! I do believe PR should sit at the center of every marketing decision at Fortune 500 Companies since they are the best trained to understand how best to engage with consumers. Hence the term “Public Engagement.”
Jeff, great post and I love your term “Engagement Platform”. I’m not sure if it’ll stick as far as a new term to replace “website”, but at the end of the day it is all about business outcomes. It really doesn’t matter what we call the various platforms. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and company websites that have social media integration are all engagement platforms. I’d like to see more businesses tracking as many metrics as is feasible for them, especially link click-throughs, form fill-outs, website analytics, and search engine placement. Integrating a company’s online properties and social media into the company sales process for some reason seems rare. Is it just me or does it seem like not enough website managers count the number of new leads generated online, where they came from, and the quality and close rate of the leads? At the end of the day actual sales increases is what really matters. When people at all levels of a company can communicate, review and understand their key metrics, it will be easier to figure out where to focus engagement efforts.
Thank you Bear Files for your comment. For the record I don’t think “Engagement Platform” will replace “Website” but it’s the term I use with all my clients.
The beauty of digital marketing is all the ways it can be tracked. The key is understanding how the digital marketing efforts (engagement platform, social media, mobile application, PPC, etc.) affect the company’s predetermined goals which most likely tie back to sales.
I created a Social Media ROI Model here which provides more details regarding how to track social media efforts within a company.
http://www.slideshare.net/evolutionofcommunication/social-media-roi-model
I hope this information is helpful.
Wow, that’s a great slideshare, Jeff. That’s just what I was thinking – businesses need to track and analyze their metrics to fine-tune their online strategy.
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