By
Jamie Kiley When visitors first come to your
site, it's important for you to anticipate how they are approaching
your site.
Are your visitors thinking from the perspective of
a general need, or are they looking for a specific solution?
Here's the difference: Someone who is thinking in terms of a
need knows of a problem he or she has, but does not necessarily
know how to solve it. This type of person is looking for someone
to suggest an answer for their need.
On the other hand, someone who is thinking in terms of a solution
has not only identified their need, but they also already know
what they are looking for in terms of how to answer that need.
They do not need you to suggest a solution; they just need you
to help them get their chosen solution in a hurry.
For example: Suppose you're a distributor for a piece of accounting
software called "BizWhiz." Someone who runs a small business
might be thinking from the perspective of a need, such as, "I
need help with accounting." Or, they might have already decided
on the specific solution they need, such as "I'm looking for
a place to buy BizWhiz."
Web News:
SCO
Group's demands on fees may spark action
The SCO Group, locked in a bitter war
against Linux and embroiled in a US$5
billion ($7 billion) lawsuit against
IBM, may be heading into trouble with
the regulatory authorities in New Zealand
and Australia.
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Australia's Telstra Won't Outsource Accounting Functions
Australian telecommunications group
Telstra Corp. (TLS) said Monday it isn't
planning to outsource any
of its accounting, payroll and purchasing
functions to India as part of a cost-cutting
program.
However, the company said it may continue
to hire offshore companies, such as
India's Satyam Computer Services Ltd.
(500376.BY), to provide software development
and maintenance work on its information
technology systems.
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In
the first case, the message you must get across
is, "BizWhiz can solve all your small business accounting
problems!" In the second case, the customer needs
to hear, "You can get BizWhiz here-and you can get
it faster, easier, and less expensively than at
our competitor's sites."
As another example, suppose you have an online electronics
store. Your customers may be thinking in general
terms ("I need a digital camera") or in terms of
specifics ("I'm looking for a
Sony DSC-F717").
It's your job to anticipate visitors who already
know the particular solution they are looking for,
as well as those who only have a vague idea of their
need.
In some cases, it will be pretty clear that your
visitors only fall in one category or the other.
However, on most sites, you'll have a mixed audience.
You need to anticipate the different needs of each
group and plan accordingly.
Here's how: 1. If they haven't figured
out a specific solution...
...you cannot just present your product and expect
your customers to buy it. They won't know why they
would want the product. You need to articulate their
needs, then convince them that your product is perfect
for satisfying those needs.
An excellent illustration of an industry that is
terrible in this area is companies who provide gateways.
Many people who want to set up an online store have
no idea what a gateway is, even though it is something
they need. Unfortunately, most companies who provide
gateways assume that the customer will already understand
what a gateway does and can simply pick the right
one for their needs. This is not the case.
2. If they already know exactly
what they want...
...you need to focus on helping them find it quickly
and easily. Top priorities for accomplishing this
goal include:
Really good navigation
A good search feature
Anything else you can add
that would make it simple to locate a particular
product.
The more products you have, or the bigger your site
is, the more important these features are.
A note of caution: Even if your customers already
know they want your product, that doesn't mean you
shouldn't talk about the benefits of the product.
Even people who know what they want still need reassurances
that they've made the right choice. They'll also
need to know why they should buy from you versus
your competitors.
About
the Author: There are 605.6 million people online.
Can they find your business? Jamie Kiley creates
powerful and engaging websites that make sure
YOUR company gets noticed. Visit http://www.kianta.com
for a free quote.
Back when
people first started creating web pages, sites comprised
little more than text, basic tables and an occasional graphic.
Design involved writing your content and going back through
it adding the appropriate HTML tags to achieve the desired
layout. It was very much a manual process...
