Emphasize content – Your message is everything. If your writing isn’t clear and compelling, you’ll lose your customer. Put extra time into ensuring that your content is well written, doesn’t contain typos or grammatical errors, and supports your sales effort. Guide visitors to the sale. Use headlines and subheads that capture the visitor’s imagination and hold them on the site. Use action words in your copy and don’t be afraid to ask for the sale. Visitors have come to your site to consider a purchase. Fulfill that need in your copy. Don’t ever be apologetic effort to sell customers your services, products or self.
Build relationships – Whenever possible, collect information about your customers. At the very least, get their email address. Learn their likes and dislikes through customer feedback forms and surveys. Market to these preferences. Email customers regularly with specials or new products or holiday gift ideas. Create programs for frequently purchasers, such as a 20% discount or free shipping during a weekend promotion. Keep your site in the customer’s mind as much as possible with regular contact.
Limit choices – Don’t give your visitor too many options. Remember that your primary goal is to get the visitor to buy your product or service. Lead them to that decision at every turn. Explain why your product or service is so good, create value in the mind of the customer and make the purchasing process as simple as possible.
Don’t be a mystery – Make it easy for visitors to contact you. Nothing is more maddening than having to hunt through pages and pages of a web site to find an email address or phone number. If visitors can’t easily find this information, they may think you’re trying to hide something and go somewhere else. Real phone numbers, addresses and names can make a world of difference. If you are leery about having your home address on your site, get a PO box for your business. The best place for your contact information is at the bottom of every page on the site as well as a Contact Us page.
