When people think about the Internet, they think about
technology. When people hear that I am a Website strategy
expert, they see me as a “techy type”.
But for me, the most intriguing aspect of your online business
isn’t about the technology. It’s about human connections, and
how you can create these in a virtual environment.
It’s commonly understood that “people buy emotionally, not
intellectually.” Even when people think they’re making a
rational decision, powerful subconscious factors come into play.
To sell effectively, we’re told to anticipate our customers’
needs, to demonstrate that we “feel their pain”, and to respond
to clues in their body language and tone of voice.
In the “real world” we do this very well. And we know that if we
can have a direct, in-person conversation, there’s a pretty good
chance that we’ll close the sale or keep a happy customer.
For the online visitor, your Website is the next best thing to
that in-person conversation with you, your colleagues or
employees. And since so many people are researching products and
services on the Web, it’s critical that your site has maximum
impact in persuading them to take the next step with you.
So how does your Website connect emotionally with your visitors?
Do they feel listened to, understood and appreciated by your
Internet presence? Are you instinctively meeting their real
needs? Do your existing customers feel supported and valued when
interacting with you online?
Or are you failing to evoke the crucial emotional responses
which can significantly enhance your response rates, sales and
ongoing return on your Web investment?
The Critical Emotions for Website Success
I’ve been working with client Web strategies in a wide range of
industries since 1995. Based on this experience, I’ve identified
some key emotions that you need to evoke in your online visitors
to create and sustain a profitable relationship.
How well your Website does this can have a major effect on the
visceral, instinctive reactions of your visitors, and their
propensity to buy from or connect with you.
In total, I have twenty criteria for emotional connectedness
that I suggest for any Website. That’s too many to discuss in
this article, but let’s look at a few highlights:
Do I Feel Recognized?
When we first meet in a business setting, we’re introduced, or
we introduce ourselves with some statement about what we do, and
why we should connect with each other.
When we talk with customers or prospects, it’s important to show
very quickly that we understand their issues and needs, and that
we have ideas and solutions to address these.
The most important task for your home page is to accomplish this
initial introduction. You’ve heard the “ten-second” rule about
how long a visitor will stay on a site that doesn’t engage them.
So, does your home page really tell me what you do? Does it
speak to me in specific terms that make very clear what services
you provide, and what type of customers or clients you work
with? Does it use language that I’ll understand even if I don’t
know the jargon of your industry or specialization?
Sounds simple?
There are astounding numbers of Websites that fail to provide
basic information on the home page.
If your goal is to get the customer to visit your store, does
your home page clearly show your location, and how to get there?
Every time you force the visitor to make a decision, such as “Do
I click on the Contact Us page to find their address?”, you open
up the possibility that they’ll make the wrong choice (from your
viewpoint), or worse still, they’ll just leave.
And is it clear to me whether you can - or would want to - help
me? Are you geared towards corporate bulk buyers, or small
businesses, or both? Do you operate nationally or only in your
immediate location? Will your visitors know what you mean by
generic terms such as “business systems” or “total business
solutions” or should you be more specific as to what you offer?
Do I Feel Engaged?
As we continue our “real-world” conversation, we start to find
common points of interest, whether personal or professional. We
begin to feel that we can relate with each other, and this helps
to build our business relationship.
So your Website has to make the visitor feel drawn in - that
they want to know more about your business, your products and
your services - but again, from the viewpoint of their needs and
interests. And you have to give the visitor a clear sense that
you want to find those points of connection, and to learn more
about them.
If the visitor doesn’t feel invited in, if they feel left to
themselves to find their way around - if they’re overwhelmed,
confused, or simply not interested in your site, they’ll leave.
Does your site present a bewildering array of manufacturers,
products, or options without any guidance as to selecting from
these? Think about the conversation that you’d have with a
customer in your store. You’d find out what they were looking
for, and then you’d ask a number of questions to help them find
the right solution for their needs.
So how can you mirror this process online? You could offer a
“Help Me” page that guides visitors through some Frequently
Asked Questions or other choices and provides links to
recommended products based on their answers. You could
incorporate an interactive chat facility with a customer service
agent during office hours, or access to a searchable knowledge
base. Do I Feel Convinced?
If the visitor is seeing your business for the first time, they
need to be comfortable that you are who you say you are, and
that you can deliver what you promise.
One of the most important elements in establishing this part of
the connection is to show the “faces” of your business. Have you
noticed how many Websites don’t name any of their owners, or the
people that customers will interact with? It’s much easier to
have a conversation when I know who I’m talking to!
Customer testimonials and other third-party endorsements are
critical elements in establishing trust - they say far more
about you than your own marketing statements. How many sites
have we all seen that trumpet “nationally recognized” or
“premier provider . . .”? Prove it!
Include client quotes and success stories right across your site
where they’re front and center as visitors are engaged in your
content. If you win an award, tell the visitor what that means
for them in terms of how you were evaluated. Do I Feel Motivated?
Towards the end of our “real-world” conversation, we’ll
hopefully close a sale, or we’ll talk about some next steps, or
we might say “Let’s stay in touch”. To do that with our online
visitor, we need to persuade them to buy something, or to tell
us who they are, and give us permission to reconnect with them.
Too many Web pages tail off with no call to action or directions
about where to go next. If you don’t issue a clear invitation,
you again leave it to the visitor to work out what to do - and
you run a big risk of losing them.
So at every point on every page where the visitor might be
thinking “Tell me more”, or “How do I get this?”, provide a
clickable link to the next step, to your shopping cart, to your
newsletter subscription page, or to whatever you want them to
do. Don’t wait until the end of the page - they may never get
there! Look for the emotional “tipping points” on every page
where they’re ready to talk more with you and grab them in the
moment!
Diluting the Connection
Of course, it’s all too easy to undo all the good feeling that
we create by frustrating or annoying the visitor, or simply by
giving them a dead end.
One of my favorite bugbears is the site search engine that
allows me to enter my query, and then tells me “No results
found. Please try again with different search terms”.
How is that supposed to make me feel? What was wrong with my
keywords or my parameters if the search page allowed me to
select them? Am I being stupid? Or do you really not want to
help me?
Your visitor is clearly looking for something, and has taken a
step towards connecting with you. So how about a results page
that lets them know that you can’t immediately answer their
question, but offers a link to your contact form so that they
can send a question, or some tips or suggestions on how to find
more information.
The ultimate customer service feature is an opportunity to
interact with a live assistant - if your site offers this
utility, the search results page is a perfect place to maximize
its visibility.
So how “Emotionally Connected” is your Website?
I hope that I’ve sparked your curiosity enough to take a fresh
look at your Website.
Think about specifically why visitors are coming to your site,
what might be on their minds, and review your copy and
navigation accordingly. Think about new customers and existing
ones, employees, media - everyone who might have a reason to
visit. Are you doing everything that you can to create an
“emotionally connected” experience for everyone?
The right mix will gain you significantly higher time spent on
your site, more calls from pre-qualified leads, more signed
contracts, happier repeat customers, attention from new markets,
offers of strategic alliances and collaborations, and insights
into creating successful new products and services.
(c) Philippa Gamse, 2005. All rights reserved.