How to win customers and make them buy your product or service.
Many Purposes One Goal
When you surf the internet youll find web sites that:
- sell products or services
- educate or inform
- provide interaction or a forum for discussion.
Some web sites encompass a combination of these, but all web sites have one purpose to convince the viewer to participate. User participation requires at least one of the following: registration, interaction, communication, purchasing, at the minimum--reading.
Success Or Failure
The primary reason you have a web site is not as important at first. The goal is to get viewers to use your web site in some manner. Without participation, the viewer does not make a purchase (now or later), interact, or get educated.
Getting the viewer to use your web site (as you intend) is critical to the success of your web site.
Three Factors That Make A Sale
Im going to assume your website already passes some usability standards and is:
- able to be found
- easy to use
- easy to rememeber
- free of errors
- easy to learn
Is having a web site with all the above enough to make a sale? No, there are three critical factors behind a viewers decision to make a purchase:
- Relevance
- Differentiation
- Trust
Relevance Does your web site have what the viewer is seeking? If a visitor to your web site is looking to buy a car but you only sell flowers, it is not likely that you will make a sale. The stronger the connection between what your web site provides and the viewers needs--the more likely youll make a sale.
Two things affect making a relevant connection:
- Your web sites usability, especially how easy it is for a viewer to see (and understand) what you have to sell/offer.
To make the connection between the viewers needs and your solution, you need an effective web site presentation of your product, service, information, or message. The viewers must be able to, in a short amount of time, know what youre selling or offering, how it meets (or exceeds) their needs, and how to get it. - How successful you are in bringing relevant viewers to your web site.
Bringing relevant visitors to your web site hinges on your web sites placement on search engines, on incoming links from other web site, as well as your other marketing practices. The goal is to have people who need or use your product or service (your target market) come see your web site.
To get your target market visitors from search engines, you must have the appropriate key words, title, description, and content wording. To get your target market visitors from other links, think about complimentary products, services, or information. By complimentary I mean, products that your target customers would use in conjunction with your product, or products that they may use or purchase. Then go to the higher (search engine) ranked web sites for those products and ask for a link to your website.
Differentiation What makes you different from the other web sites that offer your product, service, or information? You must communicate this difference clearly, loudly, and often.
- Clearly the viewer must be able, in a short amount of time, understand how you are different. You should communicate this in terms your target market comprehends.
- Loudly your differentiation should be plain to see, not subtle, or understated. You should also communicate how your differentiation benefits the viewer.
- Often throughout your web site demonstrate your differentiation. Show how you are different in all aspects in interactions. You may sell the same product as another, but maybe your delivery, guarantee, quality control, packaging, etc. is different.
Trust The viewer must feel confident that all interactions with you will be completed in the manner you specify. In fact, you should display your terms (privacy policy), shipping process, returns/refund procedure, contact information, and ordering/payment process. Displaying testimonials from satisfied customers can add a level of trust, especially when those customers have a real name and location.
You should do what you say you will do.
With all the issues and horror stories about making purchases over the internet it is very important that you use every tool to ensure the privacy and security of your potential customers.