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4 Ugly Truths Your Website Can’t Hide

Share the goods.

Digital Director Kayden Grinwis buries his face in his hands while working at the 834 office in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Here at 8THIRTYFOUR, we LOVE what we do. We truly enjoy our work, and we enjoy the people we work with. We don’t work with assholes, and we don’t take on projects or clients we don’t believe in.
Unfortunately, that’s not true for everyone.
We’ve had plenty of meetings with companies that want to invest in their digital presence through a new website and a robust social campaign. However, when we’ve dug into the strategic conversations, it’s become very evident that they were far from ready to build a new website.
And that’s because no matter how big your pockets are, there are certain things that your website just won’t fix.
Here are 4 of them.

1. You Don’t Know Your Audience

If you don’t have a strong understanding of your target audience and their motivators, it will be embarrassingly clear on your website when none of your content resonates with them. You’ll choose the wrong imagery, and your content won’t engage. They’ll bounce off your site before you get a chance to say anything.

2. You’re Not Adding Value

If you’re not solving a problem or otherwise adding value for your audiences, they won’t waste their time on your site – or with your company. They’ll move on to someone else who will.

3. Your Product or Service Sucks

Don’t try to put lipstick on a pig. If your product or service sucks, don’t invest the money into a website to make it look better – it won’t work.

4. You Don’t Have a Clear Vision

If your team is not on the same page in terms of your company vision, your website and social media visitors will be able to tell immediately. Your messaging and content will be all over the place, and it will sound like a bunch of generic gibberish – avoid the buzzwords. Visitors will move on to someone with a clear voice.
If you don’t have a solid grasp on these 4 pieces, let’s talk about a strategy. Connect with one of our strategy gurus today to learn more about what that process looks like. Let’s turn your marketing into something genuine and effective!
 

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Recent Musings

Something on Your Mind?

We’re officially two days out…

Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause is happening this Thursday, Sept 24, and we’re getting real about perimenopause with a panel of industry experts who have the answers (see our speaker spotlights for more details).

Come for the expert insight. Stay because you get to hang with us. 

Registration closes soon. Grab your spot at the link in bio.
Introducing our third speaker for Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause, happening this Thursday. 

Meet @bitnermd, co-founder of @true.womenshealth, a concierge practice in West Michigan, focused on helping women thrive through midlife while reducing chronic conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, depression, and diabetes. 

Dr. Bitner is a board-certified OB/GYN specializing in midlife, menopause, and sexual health. She’s the author of I Want to Age Like That! and has published peer-reviewed research on menopause care. She was named Menopause Practitioner of the Year by The Menopause Society in 2015. Dr. Bitner is committed to translating evidence into practical, scalable solutions that improve women’s health, confidence, and participation at work and in life. We’re beyond excited to have her join our panel discussion this Thursday. 

Register now to hear from Dr. Bitner and our industry experts at The Pause on September 24th. 

Secure your spot at the link in bio.
Every WOSB deserves support, access, guidance, and a network, because when they have it, they’re unstoppable.

Just because you be small, does not mean you are not mighty. The Women’s Owners Network will accept its first cohort this November. Applications are due October 1.

Thank you to @lakemichigan_cu for partnering with us to provide this program. Their support means we can offer this at a significantly lower cost to business owners.

Go apply at the link in bio.
Introducing our second speaker for Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause, happening this Thursday. 

Meet Cheryl Bergman, Executive Director of the @miwomenscomm.

Cheryl is a statewide policy leader driving economic opportunity and better health outcomes for women across Michigan. Appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in 2019, she brings together employers, healthcare experts, advocates, and policymakers to tackle the issues that actually move the needle - economic security, affordable childcare, and midlife women's health.

Before this role, Cheryl helped elect Michigan's first woman U.S. Senator and first woman Governor, and served as Senior Advisor on Governor Whitmer's 2018 campaign.

She's exactly the voice this conversation needs.

Join Cheryl and our powerhouse lineup of industry experts at The Pause on September 24th. 

Link in bio to register - spaces are going fast.
We love this trend, so we thought we’d jump on it and ask the team some “hard-hitting questions” to end the week. 

We’re a team made up of Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. Find out who knows the most about the classics. Any guesses?
We've received so many questions from new grads about breaking into a competitive market as a young professional. It starts with one thing according to @bodespeaks: being the salesperson of YOU. Emulate the leaders in your industry and show up where they show up.

It's not who you know, it's who knows you
Use the playbook of people you admire
Show up consistently and be seen
A handwritten note beats 100 LinkedIn messages, always.

See more Bode wisdom at her YouTube channel linked in our bio.
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