"Many
consider the development of the world wide web a magic carpet ride
beyond the reach of commoners. Bear in mind that 648 million
potential and likely customers currently use the internet to make vital
decisions on where to stay, how to get there and how to get the best
bang for their buck..and they want to make these decisions from the
convenience of their computer. Having a website that doesn't sell anything,
even if it's just information, may
well stay
out
of the
battlefield." John Carpenter, Webmonkey Guru. Read what the Web gurus have to say: Tip 1
If you can build a site with free and useful information that people
want to read then you've already done 90% of the work required to make
a successful site. Word will spread and you'll be sucking in traffic
like a black hole. Once you've got visitors arriving to see your free
info, you have a captive audience to sell your goods to. With just
products and no information you're going to struggle. This is a simple,
plain fact.
Tip 2
It's been researched and proven that black or gray text on a plain white
background sells stuff better than any other combination. If it's good
enough for
David Ogilvy (marketing guru) than it's good enough for all of us!
Tip 3
The Art Of Business Web Site Promotion started its life a few years ago
as an email message to a Net friend, Jim Heath, which began "Yeah,
didn't you know that if you submit your pages to the search engines you
get lots of people visiting..."
Tip 4
If you've promoted your site properly, you should be getting plenty
of visitors. Now it's time to consider the next step: selling to them.
Your
website is your storefront and you're sitting there waiting for someone
to approach you and buy something.
Have you ever updated your site or added a new product and wished that
you could tell everybody who'd visited your site in the past about
it? These people were interested in your product otherwise they wouldn't
have been there in the first place, but they came and then left again
like ghosts, leaving no trace. If you'd gotten their email addresses
while
they were on your site, you'd now be able to send them a note, and
they'd be 1,000% more likely to buy something than a first-time visitor.
Tip 5
Opt-In Mailing Lists
On a scale of one (1) to ten (10), if unsolicited bulk email is zero,
than an opt-in list rates about one hundred (100). Having your own
mailing list that people have asked to join is even more powerful than
having
a web site. There is no better way to sell your products.
Building a list of people who want to hear from you is a crucial part
of your online marketing campaign, second only to building your website.
Never abuse the trust your subscribers are handing to you along with
their email address. Always reward them with useful info.
People have given you consent to be informed and contacted by you.
This is where the real finesse starts. How do you get them to take
action? Tip
6
A few things about your visitors:
- They're always in a hurry.
- If they see a gray button, they're itching
to click it but
they're worried about the consequences.
- They love getting something
free, no matter how trivial.
- They like to make their opinions known.
- They like to stay in control.
The Path Of Least Resistance
In order to get an address, your visitor must take some kind of action
as you cannot "capture" their
address without their knowledge or consent. The trick is to make that action
as quick and simple as possible for them. The simplest action is one mouse
click.
Making Them Click
OK, so far so good, you've made it easy for them to click and they
might just go ahead and do it because it's there. However, they still
have no
real reason
to do it and they may be worried about the consequences (will their mailbox
be full of spam everyday...?)
First, you can ease their worries by telling them what you're going to
do with their email address. The most basic solution is to say:
"
Please click here to be told about updates. Your address will be kept strictly
private."
That would take care of needs 1 and 2 but why not go for the throat and
satisfy 3, 4 and even 5?
Offer Something Free
You may be able to offer them something like a free catalogue by snail
mail or a sample of your product. If so, you'll get a very high response
rate.
For example:
"
Click the button to request your free sample."
The alternative is to offer free information. Don't underestimate this
because information is what most people are searching the Web for. Here
are some
examples:
"Subscribe to my newsletter/mailing list."
This is a fantastic method because if they click, it means they're
specifically asking you to contact them. This is the next best thing
to them actually
buying something. They're saying to you "I don't want to buy anything right now,
but I want to keep in touch with you in case you have something to offer in the
future".
If you're going to run a newsletter, you must be confident that you
can drum up some new info on a regular basis.
Be a GIVER, not a taker. Tip 7
Make Them Click
Placing a graphic next to the right scroll bar (in the lower right-hand
corner of the first screen) generates a 228% higher click-through
rate than ones
at the top of the page.
Graphics placed 1/3 of the way down the page, as opposed to the top,
generate 77% higher click-through rates. Tip 8
Now that you have your extremely valuable list, (these are potential
customers that want to buy from you), you must be ready to sell
them on something
(your products) and they must be able to do so immediately.
A “contact
me” or “send me an e-mail” is like a red flag
in front of a bull if you want them to become trigger happy clicking..away
from your site.
It is most certainly a lost customer and even a potential lost
contact on your ever so valuable listing.
You will never get a second chance. Even worse they
will go to your competition because you whetted their appetite
and now they want it, and it doesn’t matter where they are going
to get it. Please remember, on the World Wide Web you don’t have
to jump in your car and drive to the next store. With a one-calorie
burning
click they are in the next store and if
the price is right they’ll buy it right then and there.
Now also imagine
that all the efforts and money you had placed on getting this customer
to sign-up for your list is now all of a sudden a customer of your competitor.
And if the
service they got there was to their satisfaction, they will remain
a loyal customer…of
your competitor. And most likely they will tell their friends about
it.
Now see why it is important to sell them on the spot! Tip 9
You corrected your beginner's mistake and offer immediate fulfillment
of your customer's desires, the next worry you have to overcome is
that their information
(personal and Credit Card) is safe with you. How do you do this?
Simple,
become a member of one of the institutions that confirm that you are
legitimate and
trustworthy and post it big (not too big) on your site. I know
this costs money but it is money well-spent. It is better to have
sales than a last second click
away before they hit the submit button. Remember on the page that
they have to give their shipping address and Credit Card information
they are confronted with
the thought of security. This thought is a powerful one and if
they do not detect that you are a responsible merchant (no matter how
credible you are in the brick-and-mortar world) these customers do
not know you from a hole in the wall and will hit the cancel button.
Post
the sign of trust right
there next to the submit
button. Tip 10
Shipping… Have your ducks in a row when it comes to shipping.
Remember they want their merchandise and not two weeks after they bought
it. They want
it now (or if specified that they can wait two or three days
because of shipping costs) make sure they get it in a timely fashion.
It is better to tell them they
get it in three days and receive it the second day than the other
way around. They’ll climb in the phone and give you an earful on
what they think of your fulfillment policies and may even cancel the
order. On the other hand if
they get it sooner than promised they’ll praise you into
heaven with their friends and relatives. Conclusion
Now if you think you can afford not to go through the trouble
of having an online presence … think twice. The current 1Billion online customers will be growing to over a 1.5 billion
in 2008 and those online shoppers will spend well over 6.4 trillion
dollars. If you're not selling online, your competition will.
<BACK or TOP
|
