November DMP Update – Google FAQs, ADA Websites & Storytelling

In this update to the Master Digital Marketing Plan, we discuss how small business has new opportunities on search results through Google’s FAQ feature and are at potential risk of a lawsuit for not having an ADA compliant website. In addition, we share the insights gained from a marketing concept that changes customer engagement through the use of storytelling.

Get More Bang for Your FAQs with Proper Coding

When you search a topic, in addition to being presented with the articles and blogs that relate to it, you often see a box with common questions that reveal answers and source web page information. Sites that appear to answer common questions are likely to experience increased web views.

For sites that already feature FAQs, proper coding of the page allows Google to recognize and potentially feature them directly in a search. The process begins by assuring that your on-page content structure meets Google guidelines. Next, you need to create the necessary JSON-LD code, which allows Google to recognize your content as FAQ.

Example of Google Questions in Search Results

Questions and Answers Showing Up In Search Results

ADA Compliant Websites

In 2019 several companies were sued because their websites and mobile apps were not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA requires that reasonable accommodations to support people with disabilities living a full and normal life. With regard to websites, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) presents how to create an ADA compliant website or how to modify your existing site to be compliant. Businesses both large and small are at risk of being sued, and the outcomes are still uncertain.

If you have questions about how to maximize the impact of your FAQs or about ADA compliant websites, we’re happy to help.

Once Upon a Time….

Donald Miller, the author of Building a Storybrand explains that the best way to cut through marketing noise and truly connect with your target audience is to tell them a story. An engaging marketing story casts the customer as the hero and your business as the guide who can help him or her achieve the goal.

As with all good stories, your marketing campaign should:

Present what the hero wants. Look at your brand from the customers’ perspective and consider what you provide that they want, i.e. something that reduces frustration, saves them time or money, etc. Pick the most compelling “want” to build your story around. Only use one want in the story to keep your message clear.

Identify who or what opposes the hero. In other words, what stops someone from buying your goods or services? This opposition could be internal to the customer, i.e. frustration, guilt, self-doubt, etc., or external to the customer, such as lack of money or time. Personify these oppressors as the villain when creating your story, such as distractions as time robbers.

Define what is at stake. Now you present what happens if they don’t act by purchasing your product or service vs. what would happen. A little fear of a bad thing balanced by hope of the good thing is the motivator to act.

By telling a story rather than giving a pitch makes the customer a part of the process rather than something that is acted upon. And remember, everyone wants to be the hero in their own story and you can give your target audience a place to shine.

The new items to the master digital marketing plan consider:

Is the most important service of the company crystal clear immediately after a visitor sees the page?

Does the website’s tagline frame the visitor as the “hero” of the story and the company as the “guide”?