You've implemented online sales, now how to convince the customer to buy?
Here are nine tips for building a site that encourages rather than
discourages online shopping.
10.Design for your target market. Find out who your potential customers are
and why they come to your site. Use surveys, focus groups or usability
studies to discover their preferences, patterns and requirements.
9. Identify your goals for the site and introduce content accordingly. One
Internet marketer tells the story of erroneously marketing an automotive
book as an aid to car repair when the real market for his publication was
new car buyers.
8. Avoid using offline marketing material on the Web. Print material
requires modification before it's suitable for web viewing.
7. Engage the viewer with dynamic environments. Chat features, forums,
solicited feedback, and database delivery of custom content go a long way.
6. Provide good navigational structure, including search capabilities for
larger sites. Allow your viewers to navigate easily no matter where they
entered your site. Free your sales area of links to other Internet sites.
Why encourage customers to leave when you've worked so hard to attract them?
5. Test the interface. A Website interface should enhance the user's goals,
not distract from them. Strive to meld site components (i.e. graphics, text,
sound, etc.) to create a unique atmosphere and identity.
4. Design with usability in mind and abide by basic design principles.
Utilize white space, easily-read fonts, pleasing color schemes, universally
understood symbols and backgrounds that don't distract from the message.
3. Write in the second person. (i.e. You will appreciate our new product
because …). Keep sentences short and no more than 3-4 sentences per
paragraph. Make use of hyperlinks and interactivity unless doing so would
take visitors away from your sales area. Remember also that your visitors
may be situated in other parts of the world, and they may not understand
jargon or North American slang. Lastly, research shows that Web surfers
detest the use of marketing hype. Subtlety counts.
2. Reward visitors from coming to your site. Offer free information,
articles, contests, industry news or personalized services. Surfers are
willing to provide online information if personalization is the result.
1. And most importantly, always answer the question, "What's In It For Me."
In other words, talk "Benefits" not "Features." Sound familiar?
About the Author
June Campbell
Writing Services by Nightcats Multimedia Productions
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