So you think you've created the perfect website. It looks great,
loads fast, and you perform marketing and promotional duties on
a regular schedule online and off. There seems to be only one
problem....no one is buying your products. Did you rely on the
essential rules in marketing when you you created your site? If
not, you're in real trouble.
1) Great Customer Service?
One thing that will drive your customers away faster than
anything else is poor customer service. This ranges from taking
an eternity to answer your email, to shipping delays. You need
to respond quickly, especially when it comes to email. In our
"hurry-hurry" society people will not wait to hear from you for
very long before moving on to the next guy.
Do you have your email address on every page of your website?
Nothing irks me more then having to dig through a site just to
find an address to ask a question. Do you offer a toll free
number so they can contact you? Easy to do and free with
http://www.ureach.com How about real time communication on your
website? Take a look at http://www.humanclick.com, which allows
you to answer questions from your website guests as they browse
your site.
The more ways you give people to communicate with you, the
better. Many companies fail online due to shoddy customer
service. Don't be one of them. By offering excellent service
you'll stand out from the crowd and build better relationships
with your clients. Remember it's easier to re-sell to an
existing customer than it is to find a new one.
2) Who Are You and What Do You Do?
Identify your company and your products on the home page. Don't
make people "dig" down into your site for the answer. They
won't; they'll just leave.
Also, make sure you describe the benefits of your service or
product right away. For example, will it save time or money?
Make you thinner? Is it easy-to-use? People don't care about
you, they want to know "what's in it for me?" Tell them and tell
them fast, or risk losing them. Sales are generally made on
emotions. If you don't trigger any by giving them a good reason
to buy from you, they won't.
3) Are you Charging the Right Price?
If you charge too much, no one will buy. If you charge too
little, people will think there's no value or that there's
something wrong with your product or service. (And they still
won't buy.) Before you set your pricing, make sure you do a
little research into your competitor's backyard. That way,
you'll have a better idea of where to set your pricing.
Don't forget about "perceived value." Anything you can add on in
the way of free bonuses or free shipping will go a long way in
convincing folks to buy. With the enormous amount of freebies
floating around online, it shouldn't be too hard collecting a
few that relate to what you're selling that you can give away
with every purchase.
4) Does your Copy Sell?
Make sure your text helps motivate your customers to make a
purchase. Sprinkle "powerful headlines," "calls to action," and
plenty of testimonials from happy customers throughout your
pages. Remember that people read differently online; they skim.
Make it easy for them to catch the main points and benefits
quickly.
Also, offer a few different payment options and make it easy to
place an order. If they have to jump through hoops, you'll lose
the sale. Simple and Easy is the way to go.
5) Is your Site Designed with your Target Market in Mind?
Does the look of your website cater to your target market? You
need to know demographics of your intended audience before you
even begin the construction process. Know your market's
demographics such as age bracket, income, education, and whether
they are mostly male or female. If your site is geared towards
teenagers, it needs to look fun and hip (save the sophisticated
look for their parents). If your audience is middle aged
businessmen you'll need a more corporate look.Make sure you keep
your core audience in mind when choosing your fonts, site
colors, and any graphics.
If you remember to incorporate these basic marketing principles
into your website you'll not only have a site that looks good,
but actually does what you intended it to do all along: Sell!
About the author:
Merle's Cyber Promotions http://www.mcpromotions.com/ "Creating
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