Many people like to think that art and science live in two totally different worlds. There are even different sides of the brain that control creative thinking versus analytical thinking. So it may seem that the two might be at odds. But there’s at least once place where they exist in harmony, and that’s your marketing – and more specifically for the purposes of our discussion today, your website.
Think about it: all marketing is part art and part science. It takes a lot of pretty things to grab our audience’s attention, make an emotional connection, and tell a story. It also takes a great deal of data to guide the direction of that art, telling the artists what the audience is best responding to, when and how they’re most likely to respond, and what keeps them coming back for more.
Your website follows this same pattern. Let’s explore the art and the science behind it all.
The Look and Feel
With every web project, our goal is to create a visually stunning site that draws a reader in, and reflects the client’s brand story in not just the colors, but in the imagery, copy and calls to action, and layout of information. We want them to love what they see, and have a great experience while they’re there.
Yet science also plays into the look and feel. There is science behind everything from color schemes to where information is located on the page. While something might look nice, it may not inspire the visitor to find what they’re looking for or take the action you’re after. And the great thing about science in the web world is that we can look at data all the time. It will tell us if your audience isn’t clicking through to a certain section, or clicking a “specials” banner on your home page. That data tells us it’s time to test something different.
Content
The ongoing development of fresh, relevant, valuable content is important. Notice that I said “relevant and “valuable.” You rely on the artist to craft excellent blogs and consistent social media, married with just the right photograph to reel people in. Your scientist is there to guide that creation through data. The scientist knows how to interpret the analytics reports to identify what your audience is most interested in, and what they respond to best. This creates and maintains an ongoing relationship, and helps build brand loyalty. Folks want to come back for more. It’s beautifully written, and keenly in tune with their needs. And it’s not possible without art and science working hand in hand.
On-Site Copy and Optimization
Your website’s copy is what will tell your story (and no, we’re not just talking about your “ABOUT” page). Your story is present everywhere, from how you show up on the home page to how you present and position your products and services, and perhaps even how you make the ask to get folks to reach out to you. It goes without saying that the artist beautifully creates that story through words and imagery. But the scientist also plays a key role.
The scientist knows exactly who your audience is, what they’re interested in, and where visitors are flowing through on your site. They know what pages encourage them to find more, and what pages make them leave. They can pinpoint where you have gaps in your copy, where new pages or sections may need to be added, and what visitors want more of. The scientist will look at overall trends, and even recent spikes in traffic to make recommendations to the artist.
Your website and digital marketing need art and science to be successful. Art draws readers in. Science keeps you on track and moving in the right direction. A website without direction, no matter how visually appealing it is, will turn irrelevant and outdated. A website without artistic flare, no matter how data driven it is, will be uninviting and boring. To be successful, you need both the artist and the scientist on your team. At Kolbeco, we are artists and scientists. Storytellers and analysts. A little bit of crazy with a lot of passion. And 100% prepared to help tackle your marketing needs, whatever they may be.
