|
|
The Internet Road Map
1) Data Capture
One easy way to collect e-mail addresses and permission is via a signup box on your website. Place your signup box in a visible place on your homepage, and other appropriate pages, where visitors might choose to opt-in.
Don't just do what I suggested, but go one step further. What that means specifically is always giving back to your customers before you expect them to give. Give them an offer with some urgency behind it and a call to action. For example, why not offer a visitor to your website a whitepaper, a free consultation, or a short clip of audio from a recent speaking engagement or seminar. People love when you extend the olive branch. In return, you'll usually see much higher click-thru and e-mail submission rates. Always remember WIIFM. What's in it for me? Think, why would I just assume that anyone stepping into my website would give me their personal mailing address, or e-mail, simply because I placed an empty box that read "join my list." Well, that's a good start, but a lousy finish.
It's all about offer, urgency, call to action and then BOOM! You can sit back and watch your click-thru rates soar.
2) Conversational Calls to Action
So, how do you give your website the right dose of personality? Think of your website as a one-on-one conversation. Just imagine sitting in a coffee shop talking informally with a customer. That's the starting point for your approach, a more personable and appropriate "human" voice will come naturally.
When you picture the coffee shop scenario, you quickly see how inappropriate (not to say ridiculous) some of the more traditional styles of customer communication can sound on a website. Drop the jargon, drop the sales pitch, be as honest as you can, and talk like a human being.
Refreshing idea, isn't it? Especially on the navigation bar of your website. For example at www.harpsetc.com, one of only six harp stores in the county, they understand how enticing call to action conversational language can be on many pages of the site. The navigation bar includes, "Test drive a harp." Doesn't that sould like fun? Or "Hear before you buy", and "Is the harp for me? Find out more." The audience loves to read on the web as if you're speaking with them. If you know it's effective with you, then why not give it back to your website visitor.
3) "Read More Here"
"Read more here" is an example of what I would call a variable affecting your conversion rate. I call these kinds of variables "micro conversions" because they are all small (microscopic, even) steps toward full conversion. A micro conversion is something that you should test and measure.
"Read more here" might not get as high a click-through rate as "Click here to find out how to win a month's supply of vintage wine." So, by improving this click-through, you get the person browsing to take another small step toward your final website goal. By doing this, you improve your overall conversion rate, which in this case is to get someone to register or subscribe to win a month's supply of vintage wine.
Micro conversions can be tracked by measuring the click-through of links, or the read time for content, or the bounce rate for headlines and copy. Full conversion means persuading your visitors to do what you want them to do. In my example, it would be registering to win wine. But it could be subscribing to a newsletter, downloading an audio file, buying a product, selling a service, or whatever. It should reflect your website's business objective.
If you would like to learn about the top 10 best practices that ensure that you get the most visitor interaction on your website, visit www.hartcreativemarketing.com.
Or call 925.705.0372.
Jerry Hart is the CEO of Hart Creative Marketing, Inc., an internet marketing corporation dedicated to not just building websites, but building business, specializing in expert email marketing, search engine marketing, and dynamic database driven websites. Hart Creative Marketing aims to give people tools that ignite and excite business decision makers to maximize their success in marketing.
Hart is also recognized as a dynamic speaker and prolific writer having been published in various magazines, newspapers, and internet publications. He is the author of the forthcoming book, Blueprint to E-Marketing. (Blueprint Press, Summer 2005). Hart was recently a featured guest of Office Depot's "WebCafe", a series of webinars on Marketing and Business broadcast around the world via the internet.
Hart has over 20 years of experience in marketing which includes his time as a radio morning show host for Clear Channel Communications. He currently serves as chairperson for eBig.org, a sales and marketing special interest group in the East Bay.
Do You Need a Web Database?
Does My Web Site Require A Web Database?
Content Management ? The New Standard in Web Design
The evolution of web development parallels the model of technology spending by companies today. The style and method has transformed along with the business spending trend. Content management has taken over as the latest fashion in design and modern web development style.
4 Rock Solid Reasons For Building Your Own Website
What is the point of having a website, you may ask, when the affiliate programme you have joined has provided you with your own web page to promote? This is a fair question. The answer has to be that with your own site - and of course your own domain name - you will have a lot more control over your business. Here are four reasons why you should be grabbing your piece of internet real estate - right now.
Why Local Service Companies Should Have a Website
The Internet is being used by local service business to improve sales today. Sales are improved because a website gives a company more credibility and in some cases generates leads.
Build a Web Site that Works...Even for a Safari Hobby!
My life's greatest passion is a safari hobby. And what would that be, you ask. ...Simply the conservation of wildlife and the environment. I do this after hours from my 7 to 5 job. And that's how this story started. Read this story to learn how to build not just a web site...but a web site that works...
Your Website Should Be Selling
It may come as some surprise to a traditionally off-line business that their website should be attracting new sales, or at least supporting the sales they have made. There is a common misconception that a website is more of a cost than an asset. When I ask companies why they would like a website the common answer is, "I don't know?" It seems to me that having a website is more of a reflex than something that is planned to help grow sales for the company. In other words, "Every business has one, I should too."
Having a Domain Name And Web Site Gives Your Business The Key To The Door
Just like all things in life, the ways to run a business are rapidly changing and evolving. The potential involved with having a domain name/web site is staggering to say the least. A web site gives the consumer a 'shop front' that is not only open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but is also situated right on their desktop. Instead of being locked into only the immediate area, the whole world's marketplace becomes your sphere of interaction.
Build It and They Will Come
Build it and they will come is not always true; you have to form a relationship with the company before you will get quality attendees or participants for a free service.
Web Measurement: What You Don?t Know Would Make A Great Book
"What's in it for me?" you ask. "Why should I measure how people use my website? How does it help and what does it all mean?" The purpose of this article is to try to give you some insight into effective web measurement and to talk about the most important page of any website, the landing or home page.
Building a Web Site Requires the Right Software to Eliminate Headaches and Keep Money in Your Pocket
When most people build a web site, they think one simple thing. "If I build it, they will come". How further from the truth this is.
Make Your Web Site Stand Out
When visitors add your web site to their Favorites or bookmark your site, what shows up in their list of sites? There are at least two things you can do to make sure your site stands out on anyone's list of Favorites, including a great idea that very few sites use. If you have a webmaster, he or she should be able to make these changes quickly, and those who maintain their own sites can easily handle these simple tasks.
Your Content for Nothing and Your Clicks for Free
The first thing my business consultant (read brother-in-law) asked me, when I told him that I wanted to build a website and put AdSense on it was, "Do you want to build a site to help people or to make money?" After thinking about it for a while I couldn't imagine why I shouldn't do both. Why not a website that helps people and generates money for me? My consultant looked at me like I had taken one too many falls off my bike, which he knew I road primarily to save on the cost of gas, but he proceeded forward.
7 Tips to Make Your Order Page Work Harder
So your prospect, Mary, is sitting at the computer reading your compelling sales letter. She's convinced she needs your product. So she clicks on the order link, with her credit card next to the mouse. She's taken to the order page. What she sees next makes her change her mind and click away. Can you prevent bail out at the crucial moment of ordering? You betcha!
Writing Effective ALT Text For Images
Anyone who knows anything about web accessibility knows that images need alternative, or ALT, text assigned to them. This is because screen readers can't understand images, but rather read aloud the alternative text assigned to them. In Internet Explorer we can see this ALT text, simply by mousing over the image and looking at the yellow tooltip that appears. Other browsers (correctly) don't do this. The HTML for inserting ALT text is:
Revealing the Firefox Secret Used by Top Web Developers and Power-Browsers
Profiles are one of the best kept secrets around regarding Mozilla Firefox (my browser of choice).
Content Management
More and more businesses are recognizing the importance of content management when it comes to their websites. Website content is more important than ever before, and as the Internet matures and changes, it is likely be become even more important. Many smart companies are beginning to make their website content the centerpiece of their Internet presence.
Freelance Programming is Easy to Manage
There are several reverse bid freelance sites out there. Beyond the big ones, smaller ones are popping up each day. With the variety of places for a programmer to go and look for work the review systems in place on these sites don't count for as much as they did at one point in time. If you are thinking about getting a project off the ground and using a freelancer there are some basic rules you should go by.
Benefits Of An Accessible Website: Part 2 - The Business Case
The DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) states that service providers must not discriminate against disabled people. A website is regarded as a service and therefore falls under this law, and as such must be made accessible to everyone.
Tips to Protect Your Downloads or Products
1. Upload robots.txt file in to your root directory and include the folder name where you set your downloads.
High Quality Website at Low Cost
Although designing a great web site is an important part of developing a successful online business, it is often becomes a problem for newcomers to the internet business.