Effective Web Presense
What your website says and looks like tells prospective students (aka customers) a lot about your operation before they even visit it. These days, most potential contacts for you and your school will research their aviation goals on-line before coming out to visit the airport.
So, what does your website say about you? While compiling data for Aviation Solutions, I’ve had a chance to visit nearly EVERY flight school website in Canada over the past few years. Here are six tips to ensure that your web presence is a positive one.
1. Have a website. If you don’t have one, you’re missing out on many clients who don’t know you exist. You can’t expect people to put too much effort into finding you. Even if you just cover the basics, at least people will know who you are, what you offer, and how to contact you.
2. Have contact info. You would be surprised how many FTU websites I’ve visited are missing either a mailing address, phone number, or email address. Sometimes they are hidden on an obscure page. If this basic information is not easy to find, people will skip over your site and go on to the next one.
3. Keep it simple. We are in a complex business and we can’t get everything out there that we want to say and still have a manageable website. Get the key points out on the web, and entice people to call or visit. When they call, arrange a time that is good for them to come in. In person, it is much easier to explain and show the intricacies of flight training and the unique features of your school.
4. Keep it clean. I have seen a huge number of web sites that have so many graphics, boxes, and types of text that I get dizzy. Just because you can create scrolling and flashing text doesn’t mean you should. It shouldn’t be hard to find what you’re looking for. As a consumer, I want the info I need right at my fingertips, clearly presented. Try moving resources for your existing clients to a separate area. Consider using a free or low cost template available on-line to clean up your old style HTML site and make it visually appealing. Ensure your images are sized correctly so that they have good resolution but don’t take forever to load. Potential pilots want a school that looks organized – and that begins with the website.
5. Keep it current. Once your beautiful new website is up, update it! I’ve found many schools that have old information posted. Again, this gives potential students the impression your company is disorganized. Make sure your contact info is current (some FTUs still have old email addresses and/or mailing addresses posted). If you choose to have a staff list (though #2 and #4 above say list key personnel only), make sure it’s updated every month. When a potential student visits your website and investigates groundschool start dates, they shouldn’t see the list of dates from last year, and nothing for the upcoming year! Remember those templates from #4? A Wordpress site will make it easy for your staff to update the website without any coding skills.
6. Keep it realistic. Just like ground school, images can add a lot to your website. They keep it interesting for the visitor and break up text. But be sure you are promoting your business. Include photos of your aircraft, not an Air Canada 777 which they may fly decades after leaving your FTU. While you may want people to know you can get them there, it is in my opinion, misleading. Not to mention the fact that implying a relationship between two companies that does not really exist can get you a phone call form the other party’s lawyer. Show off how great you and your company are instead!
Remember that your website is the first point of contact for most people interested in giving your their business. Put your best foot forward and make sure your site personifies what a professional operation is all about.