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The infinite potential for your success is dependant only on the satisfaction
of your most recent client.
As any successful entrepreneur knows, there’s more to generating on-line
sales than owning a web site. To produce sales, your web presence must be effective,
easy to navigate, and properly marketed – all of which require a well-rounded
understanding of your target client.
But how do we get inside the collective mind of our market? The key is psychology
– in this case, e-psychology – or the science of understanding how
consumers shop on-line. Understanding how consumers make the purchase decisions
on-line will allow you to develop web site content that appeals to the maximum
number of prospective clients.
World Wide Psychoanalysis
Internet advertising isn’t the same as print advertising. Web surfers
tend to read less on-line, instead using visuals such as photos, animation,
and colorful graphics to gather information. From a development standpoint,
this places an emphasis on site navigation and overall layout.
The motivations behind on-line purchase decisions differ from those generated
by more familiar mediums. To achieve success, your on-line sales strategy must
embrace these differences.
Let’s begin by glancing at the web sites of your biggest competitors by
sales volume. Chances are, the primary content is designed to accomplish three
goals:
- Generate interest, usually by eliciting or identifying a need
- Convey the unique value of their specific product or service, and
- Promote a transaction.
To produce sales on-line, your web site must do more than serve as an information
resource about your company. Your site must ask for the business. Each page
of the web presence should lead to an action step promoting a sale or contact
request.
On- or off-line, asking for the business is the only way to achieve any greater
result than educating prospective clients about your industry and product or
service.
Writing For The Web
The foundation of any purchase decision is the desire for a product or service,
usually based on a pre-existing need or want. Selection of a specific product
or service provider begins when a consumer identifies a company that offers
a value most compatible with the consumer’s perception of value.
Start by writing your web site’s content to elicit the general value the
product or service provides. Introduce solutions generated by having the product
or service, based on the typical ultimate desires of the target market. For
example, the benefits of developing a web site for a small business may include
increased sales, expanded credibility, and a 24/7 on-line purchase option.
Next, build on this general foundation by introducing the features, benefits
and value of your own company. Remember that surfers tend to do less reading
on-line, so you’ll need to accomplish a great deal in each line of text.
Each sentence must:
- Convey the tangible and intangible value of your product or service
- Include key terms and phrases effectively describing your industry and products/services
- Promote prospect-to-client conversio
- "Hook" the surfer, encouraging further reading
Use plenty of bulleted lists to highlight information at a glance, making sure
to limit the number of words used in each bullet. Regardless the space available
or font size used, each highlight should not exceed one line of text.
Paragraphed text such as sales copy or product descriptions should be kept
simplistic, yet appealing to the physical senses. How will your product or service
enhance the individual’s life? What are the most common benefits of your
version that existing clients do not recognize until after purchasing the product
or service?
Keep Your Prospects Focused
One of the primary reasons prospective clients do not proceed with a purchase
is their own inner dialogue. Typically, consumers will continually try to talk
themselves out of a purchase, until absolutely certain it is the best choice
for their need. When the positive elements of an opportunity outweigh the negative
feedback generated by inner dialogue, a purchase will result.
Therefore, it is important to keep your prospective clients focused on the
features, benefits and value of your company through effective site content.
If you are serious about developing a business that will control a measurable
amount of market share, your products or services will reflect Unique Selling
Points (USP) upon which your entire sales strategy will be founded. Integrating
your USP into all aspects of your web presence will help to build and maintain
a cohesive, positive focus on your products or services.
Closing the On-line Sale
A client isn’t a client until after a purchase is completed. Bringing
your prospect to the point of purchase isn’t enough; a smooth, effective
closing process is required to maximize the potential for on-line sales success.
An effective closing process must reassure the prospective client’s decision
to make a purchase before, during, and after a transaction. This can be achieved
by:
Offering visible customer support options throughout the purchase
Employing a user-friendly shopping cart and multiple on-line payment methods
Clearly explaining each step of the purchase process
Providing immediate transaction confirmation by e-mail, telephone, or your web
site
Each step of the sales process is an opportunity to develop trust between your
company and a prospective client. Developing long-term relations remains the
best way to build a faithful, strong client base that will remain loyal to your
business.
The infinite potential for your success is dependant only on the satisfaction
of your most recent client.
About the Author:
Jim D. Ray is a seasoned web developer and president of Web Presence, a national
web design firm serving the small business market sector. To learn more, or
for a free quote for your own web site, visit the Web Presence web site at http://www.web-presence.net. |
