How effective is marketing in site design? Well, let me share an ‘off site’ story.
A blind man was sitting on a street corner and a sign had been placed before the man that read, “I’m blind, please help.” In front of the sign was a hat with a few coins shared by those passing by.
A marketing guru was walking by and noticed the man sitting there. She spoke a few words to the man and tossed in a few coins. Then she took the sign turned it over and wrote something on the back of the sign and placed it back in its spot with her own message on display.
When she came back later in the day she noticed that the hat was nearly filled with bills and coins. When she voiced her amazement, the man turned toward her and said, “You were the one that changed my sign.”
“Yes, I was,” she admitted.
“Please. What does it say?” he asked.
“The autumn colors are changing and I can’t see it.”
Can you see how the difference in marketing allowed those who passed by to discover they had a way to identify with the man when a simple “Please Help” sign did very little to motivate them to action.
This is often why so many businesses hire advertising agents, copywriters and freelance writers to help them achieve a website that helps touch consumers on a different level than just saying, “This site carries a wide selection of really good stuff.”
Sometimes good marketing is simply finding a new way to say something that generally comes across as either trite or cliché.
Typically when site design is discussed there is often the knee jerk reaction that leans toward simply ‘throwing’ text together that can fill the newly created pages. The design often relies heavily on graphics without paying similar attention to what is actually being conveyed to site visitors.
If you have an existing site you may want to personally review the pages or hire someone who can help you. This is a good idea to locate outdated and inaccurate information as well as descriptions that are not especially helpful to your marketing goals.
The more you can connect with your customers through potent marketing the better your conversion rates. Connecting with your customer with consumer-centric marketing practices actually invites a greater level of trust and patronage from those customers.
This doesn’t mean you toy with their emotions, you simply learn to speak a language that is personal and inviting to your site visitor.
Don’t run your site like some Middle School students who ring your doorbell and pass you a flyer while saying, “You don’t want to buy any magazine subscriptions? Do you?”
When you give your customer an easy out – they’ll take it. Too many sites either portray something that they aren’t sure is even worth your time or they never get to the point of asking for your business.
Market effectively, give a call to action, and demonstrate confidence in what you have to sell and your website design will be the catalyst for improved and long-term sales.
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