Maybe it's just me, but many online business sites seem to have followed lead of professional wrestling. Everything is bigger, more important and beyond amazing. The hype is huge and the bulletins that read, "This offer is only available though midnight tonight" can either provide a surge of adrenaline or a groan of frustration.
After all, if a little hype is helpful then a full-blown Fourth of July fireworks display of hype is even better. Isn't it?
I'd like to argue that it is not necessary to place your website on steroids. It's not good for baseball and it's not good for business.
As the role of content becomes dominant in both Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and consumer driven demands it makes sense to rely on straightforward information to bring your product into focus for customers.
Sometimes sites that are living large extract an, "Oh, please!" from customers who manage the back button very well on their browser of choice.
It can be hard to move away from a hard sell idea especially if that is the mechanism you have traditionally used for selling. Many brick and mortar stores or personal demonstration sales associates have always been encouraged not to take NO for an acceptable answer. Naturally this mentality can show up when they make a move to an online environment.
The reality is in an online environment you do not have the ability to speak to visitors directly. You cannot answer all their individual questions when they arrive at your site. If they feel you push they will be happy to move away.
Most consumers are tired of the, "But if you act now," and "For a limited time only" that we see in television infomercials. Many will go online to simply enjoy the possibility of shopping without the pressure. Sadly many sites didn't get the 'dial it down' memo.
These businesses try tag team approaches and seek to get their site visitor in a headlock. They don't want you to leave without a sale, yet you smile at the irony and move along while they yell into their proverbial microphones demanding you meet them in the center ring.
No one has to live with this and most simply don't.
I am not suggesting that there is no room for a call to action, but there is a more humane approach to inviting customers to draw up a chair and take as much time as they need to learn more about your product and firm. Your visitors really are capable of making good decisions. It is your job to help them understand why your product is worth a good, long look.
The idea of hype reduction rests in your ability to extend trust to your visitors. When you visibly scream at them to make a purchase you may be inadvertently telling your customer that you don't trust their ability to make a quality decision.
Don't be surprised if your customers make it clear they feel they are being insulted by a heavy-handed website.
No comments:
Post a Comment