National brands that have local points of sale (e.g. retail chains, CPG producers, and restaurant chains) face a particular challenge when it comes to their websites. They need to present a strong brand that is easily recognizable but at the same time they need to serve the visiting customer in as personal a manner as possible. Most flat out fail at the later requirement.

Here is a current example:
The website of national Asian food chain carries the banner of the brand very well. All of the colors and images are correct so I immediately know I am on the correct website when I land there. The problem is that the site ignores the most basic statistic it can see about me – my location.

In the center of the page I see a new menu item that looks great but I am told it may or may not be available in my market. Doesn’t it make sense to show me items I can buy? The chain knows where the new dish is available and they know where I am so why not connect the dots and make this a better experience for me?

Since I cannot tell if that special is available or not, I continue to look for the menu. The menu varies slightly by market, so I must first click on a location and can then download a pdf of what is available at my location.

I started at the homepage, was presented with something I may or may not be able to actually buy, and then had to click to two more pages before downloading and opening a pdf.

Here’s a Smarter Way to Do Business:
When I hit the homepage I am served:
1) A Map of the Locations Within 20 Miles of Me
2) A Special Item That is Sold In My Market
3) A Link to the Menu for My Market

As I said earlier, your site should know where I am because geographic location is a basic statistic. With that data you empowered to serve geotargeted content to the visitors of your national brand site – that’s content that directs them to make a local purchase.

This is only one example of how Smart Content can use your marketing insight to better engage your local customers. Contact us and mention this blog post when you call 512.419.1943 and you’ll be given special trial pricing.

“Bounce rate is a term used in web site traffic analysis. It essentially represents the percentage of initial visitors to a site who ‘bounce’ away to a different site, rather than continue on to other pages within the same site.” Learn more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bounce_rate

When a potential customer lands on your site they use that first page as an immediate guide to answer the question: “Will this website have what I am looking for?” They don’t need to find what they’re seeking on the first page, but they do need to have a positive experience that tells them that the website is relevant to their need or interest. If they don’t get that feeling you say “Hello” and they say “Goodbye” — nothing else you did on your website matters because they have gone to look somewhere else.

This is why Bounce Rate is so important to us, because customer interactions start and potentially end with it. If you are not aware of your bounce rates on your top landing pages then ask for that report from your web agency. If you work for an agency, you may consider pulling this report for all your clients. All businesses are looking for new customers and this is an easy opportunity get new customers by simply not turning them away!

If you’re interested in a thorough analysis of your bounce rates, send us a note by clicking here and mention this blog post. An analyst on our team will be happy to review your site with you.