B2B Brand Awareness or Lead Gen? Why Your Website Should Address Both [Interview]

Is your website getting the attention it needs? If not, it’s time to revisit your design strategy.

People often think of websites as having a single goal: brand awareness or lead generation. But in reality, the most effective websites are designed with both in mind.

Think of it this way:

Great branding should be a long-term goal, seen through an investment mindset. Lead generation is a quantifiable effort aimed at the concrete, immediate goal of boosting sales.

Each is important in its own right. Together, they’re unstoppable.

To learn more about these two core design elements, we sat down with Mike Mok, Creative Teams Lead here at Red Rocket.

Sharing insights from his own design process, he outlined best practices for using your website to both build B2B brand awareness and generate leads. He also explained why they’re most powerful when used hand-in-hand.  

How Great Web Design Helps Boost Your Brand and Generate Leads: Interview with Mike Mok

1. What does successful website design look like to you?

I think the primary indicators would be consistency with branding and content organization. It’s so important that the user navigation reflects the objective of the website—whether it’s acting as a contact tool or illustrating a vision.

Nowadays, people have short attention spans and might easily get frustrated if they can’t access the information they need. That’s why a goal for any business should be to reduce their website’s bounce rate as much as possible. Businesses should also prioritize mobile optimization, as internet use is increasingly on-the-go.

2. Do you often work with a company’s salespeople during your discovery sessions? What factors do you usually consider?

Yes, getting input from salespeople is important, as they understand the target market and customer processes the best. They often sit in on discovery sessions when we’re clarifying the creative brief.

They can be very helpful in sculpting phrases and finding imagery that resonates with customers. Salespeople also have insight into terminology, or red flags that users may not appreciate on the website.  

3. How often is lead generation attributed to website design?

For a sales-motivated website, lead generation can and should be partially attributed to web design, as good designers normally incorporate CTAs and content engagement strategies.

However, for purely informational lifestyle websites, lead generation is normally not attributed to website design. In these cases, the website serves as more of a brand showcase.

4. Websites that accurately embody the corporate image of a company tend to convert better. Why is this the case?

We are all consumers of brand recognition. For example, Nike has its own unique promise, message, and reputation that upholds brand equity and increases the quality attributed to its respective products and services.

Therefore, they may not even need heavy email generation tactics, as their brand is already a sales generating machine. Smaller B2B companies, on the other hand, will really have to rely on lead generation and quality content to attract the right customers to buy their products and services.  

Want to learn more? Here’s are Mike’s top tips on how to increase brand awareness and generate leads through great web design.  

How to Maximize Your Brand Awareness Strategy Through Website Design

1. Be consistent

Strong brands show the same behaviour, mood, and tone across all platforms. That includes websites, social channels, press releases, and more.

Consistency is a simple way to boost brand credibility and recognition. That’s because it helps your buyers know what to expect. This, in turn, helps build trust in your brand.

Choose a communication style that’s simple and relatable for your target audience. Then stick to it!

2. Audit your positioning

A strategy that worked in the past might not serve you now. Make sure your branding is on point with these simple questions:

• Does your company have a clear mission or vision? Is it clearly communicated on your website? How do you stand out from competitors?

• Do you have a stellar unique selling proposition (USP)? What sets your products or services apart from others on the market?  

• Is your site search engine optimized? Does your keyword strategy attract the right kind of visitors?

If you’re not sure how to answer these questions, it’s time to revisit your positioning.  

3. Diversify your content

Top notch content is one of the best ways to become a thought leader within your industry.

Experiment with adding different media to your website. Podcasts, webinars, blogs, and videos are all great options to explore.

When it comes to social media, choose the channels your target buyers use most, and then leverage them well. Stay active and link back to your website on a regular basis.

The more you engage your audience, the more exposure you’ll get. This, in turn, will lead to better brand recognition.

How to Optimize Lead Generation Through Website Design

1. Streamline Your User Experience (UX)

Consider your buyer and what content they want to consume most. Prioritize that content in your design strategy.

You can also improve your website’s UX by:

• Simplifying design and eliminating distractions
• Adding interactive content
• Linking between pages in an intuitive way
• Optimizing for mobile
• Leveraging social proof by including recommendations and testimonials from happy clients

2. Optimize for conversion and lead nurturing

Use social media, search engine optimized content, and paid search to send traffic to pages where visitors can convert into leads. Then, use email to nurture those prospects into customers.

Throughout this process, keep an eye on your analytics. Use insights from your data to improve your efforts over time.

(Learn more in our blog B2B Website Strategy: 5 Expert Tips Before You Start Building)

3. Place your calls-to-action (CTAs) strategically

The best CTAs are clear and urgent. Optimize yours by using action-driven phrases, like “find out more” or “get a free consultation.”

For best results, position CTAs carefully throughout your site to motivate customers at all stages of the sales funnel.

Here are some examples of how we’ve helped our clients improve lead capture on their websites.

In this first example, the CTA prompts visitors to opt in to the company’s email list to receive blog updates. To make the CTA enticing to the intended audience, the copy clearly communicates the benefits of subscribing.

Here, visitors can access special reports by clicking “free download” and then filling out their contact information on a landing page.

These “Book a Tour” CTAs speak to visitors near the bottom of the sales funnel. By clicking the button, people are taken to a page where they can fill out their contact details. The copy “Join us for a free lunch” provides further incentive for people to book a tour.

Conclusion

Brand awareness and lead generation can feel like disconnected ideas. But, in truth, they’re two sides of the same coin.

Gaining prospects and driving conversions is nearly impossible if you aren’t also pushing brand credibility. Ideal websites incorporate both elements, allowing them to complement and strengthen each other.

When it comes to B2B marketing and web design, it’s true what they say: things really are better together.