Marketing is largely a process of building relationships - regardless of the media or method. But the online population seems particularly sensitive to 'in your face' marketing. Respect this reality, or you'll pay a hefty price.
Think of your business as an on-going enterprise. Yes, you want generate sales immediately... but more importantly, you want to build a successful business. Real riches come not from first-timers, but from your repeat customers and the referrals those customers send your way. This can only happen when you've truly satisfied the customer initially - where he willingly becomes an advocate of your business.
Selling online is about doing everything in your power to persuade targeted prospects to make a purchase. But this can never be done at the expense of a relationship. So if you use deception, trickery or shady practices to get the sale, you cannot create long-term customer success and without this, you will imminently fail.
Why are people online? What is it they want to get out of their online experience?
According to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, nearly 75% of users went online to seek out information. The type of information most sought had to do with their hobbies, special interests, and purchases they were planning for the near future.
What does this tell you as a marketer? It says that once online, people are goal directed. They seek out certain things of interest to them personally. If you want to succeed, you better cater to the wishes of the marketplace. This means giving them what they want, when they want it. It's all about facilitating the search by getting straight to the heart of the matter.
People don't want to be entertained... anyone can get their fill of entertainment from television. Forget flash introductions and splash pages - that only eats up precious time. Instead, help people get the information they seek immediately. Give them clear, attractive benefits, backed up by real data. Make it easy for prospects to comparative shop. Give them the solutions they want, backed by logical straight talk. Make it easy for visitors to convince themselves. Quick, easy information of relevance - with no fluff and no filler --that's the way to serve the online user.
When consumers do get online, they want to make the most of their experience. They're in complete control of the surfing experience. They know what they want and are acutely aware when it's not delivered quickly. Online consumers make fast decisions about how and where they'll spend their time. Just because a visitor shows up at your site, doesn't mean he'll still be there 10 seconds later.
Cater to their 'wants' and you have a fighting chance of sustaining attention and interest. Eliminate any possible obstruction or time-waster. Make it fun, fast and easy to explore your website. Respect the time and intelligence of your visitors. They're in control and they know it. With unlimited choices just a click away, if you don't feed those 'wants' immediately, they'll quickly go elsewhere.
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