A Website, Marketing Portal, or Both?
Should We Still Call It a Website?
Evolving Media Chronicles
By Jeff Poissant, RGD
NCSA Mosaic is widely regarded as the first public web browser, launched in early 1994. Within two years, I was developing educational applications delivered through an intranet for the Federal Government of Canada, working under a subcontract with SkillsPlus Training. That series of projects ran until the fall of 1999.
In the late 1990’s, SkilsPlus Training and Evolving Media produced an online course for the Government of Canada Treasury Board Secretariat.
By definition, an intranet is a secure private network that shares data and applications using Internet Protocol. It can host one or more internal websites and serves as a critical tool for communication and collaboration. Unlike the public Internet, an intranet remains closed to the outside world. Those were exciting years. We were pushing the limits of what was possible on an 800 × 600 pixel monitor.
Evolving Media designed and hosted the website for the Organization of Military Museums of Canada in 2000. Possibly one of the first e-commerce sites, it let people order merchandise.
Can you imagine? Your smartphone has a larger screen resolution.
For almost a quarter of a century, we have designed all types of websites and marketing portals for many kinds of companies. During this time, technology has changed what we do and how we do it. Of course, on the path to great success, we've had memorable “could-have-been” and “should-have-been” concepts and initiatives. As we continue this journey, our idea of what a website is certainly continues to change as well. Think of your online presence as a marketing portal for your business or organization, a twenty-four-hour business card, so to speak. Your online presence is a dynamic sales vehicle designed to persuade potential clients to buy your product or service. Now let’s consider the essential part of your marketing mix: the content.
Think of it this way: your online presence is your retail space.
- Your domain name is the street address.
- Web hosting is the key that opens the door.
- The website design is the store's layout.
- E-commerce is the checkout counter.
- Content and design create the departments and displays.
- Well-crafted messaging acts as your sales staff, explaining why someone should buy from you.
This holds true whether you offer a single service or thousands of products.
A strong marketing portal achieves several important goals:
- It strengthens and cements your brand.
- It makes it easier for a potential client to buy.
- It is open whenever a potential client needs you.
- It is available anywhere in the world.
- It supports a live, friendly, public conversation.
What is the most crucial ingredient?
Content. Content. Content.
What should be included?
Professional photographs, carefully written and copy-edited text, quality video and audio, thoughtful colour, and engaging design. The goal is to open a conversation.
Photographs
An expensive smartphone can take a picture, and there is nothing wrong with using one. Not every photograph, however, is equal. Your marketing portal must clearly explain why someone should choose you. Professional photography creates that clarity and can also be used across print materials. It is an investment that pays measurable returns.
Video
The most effective videos are short—ideally thirty seconds, rarely more than a minute. You already have favourites that caught your attention and stayed with you. The right video on your site can do the same for actual and potential clients.
Promotional text
Promotional writing is different from technical or purely informational writing. It begins with small, inviting fragments that draw a reader in, then builds a story with an engaging opening and a satisfying conclusion: a decision to purchase.
Isn’t it time to view your site as a marketing portal—broadcasting your products and services to the world, twenty-four hours a day?
That shift in perspective changes everything about how the work is planned, designed, and measured.
