Article by Michael Todd, Business Advisor, Western Sydney Business Centre
Will people buy? Is the text right? Why aren’t people contacting me?
It’s interesting, we spend so much of a marketing budget on a website but some business people spend more time proof reading their brochure than what is on their website.
Your website is a powerful piece of your marketing. If used correctly you won’t lose customers to competitors, attract ideal prospects and convert them to paying customers.
What do we want to see in a website when we visit them as a potential customer?
We want to see headlines that are clear and grab our attention. When we pick up a newspaper, we don’t go straight to the articles, we skim across the headlines. Why should a website be any different? Attention needs to be captured very quickly. Make people want to read more.
We want to see how we can benefit by using the product or service. The features and detail are important, but they are not why customers buy. We think ‘how will this improve our lives?’ ‘What problems will it solve?’ Emphasise the benefits and end results of what your product or services brings to them. Also, get details by adding op-in forms in the right places. There are many visitors that aren’t ready to use your product or service right now. They need more information before you get them. Think free guides, reports, check lists.
We want to see clean design and no clutter. Clutter is the biggest mistake if evident. When people are confronted with too many decisions and options, they tend to walk away from that decision process and choose no option.
We want to see stories of how people in similar situations have been helped. Testimonials and success stories give you credibility. Other people are selling for you here, real people are showing the benefits of using you.
We want a call to action if we are interested. This is closing the deal. This can be standalone button, image or line of text that prompts your visitors and leads them to take a specific action. Your call-to-action should be visually in contrast to the main colour scheme or design of your website.
