Clicks 'n Conversions Blog

This article was first published January 29, 2008 on the Tatum Marketing blog

When was the last time you took a really good look at your website? I thought so.

Judging by the likely effectiveness of most of the dozens of business technology websites I look at every week, a radical website makeover should be priority #1 for 2008.

Even if you’re not selling online. ESPECIALLY if you’re not selling online because then the chances are even higher that your website needs help.

Technology marketers have been cruising too long with the old brochure-ware websites. Let me ask you this: when was the last time a brochure sold your product? And if you don’t think your website plays a key role in selling your product, keep reading.

Over the past few years, websites have emerged as the central component in successful marketing programs. Websites can do things that no other marketing – or sales – activity can do.

• Your website lets you engage with prospects in the earliest stages of the buying process – well before they’re willing to talk to a sales person, view a product demo or even visit your trade show booth.
• Your website can address just about any question prospects may have – and it can do very cost effectively.
• Your website works for you 24/7 – no holidays, no sick days, no quitting for a better job.
• Your website’s effectiveness in turning traffic into interested buyers can be easily measured, tested and improved – sometimes overnight!
• Your website is a great source of customer feedback.

You don’t overhaul an old brochure-ware website simply by updating the copy and changing a few images on the homepage. This is about understanding your buyers, the questions they have and the process they will go through to make a purchase decision.

Here’s a 3-step procedure to get you started on the right path for upgrading your website.

1. Create detailed descriptions of your buyers. When you stop to think about it, there is more than one type of person who buys your product. These buyers differ according to their job positions and the role they play in the buying decision. They differ in personality and decision-making style. They differ in their own agendas.Your website must “speak” to each of these buyers – to answer their questions and alleviate their fears to allow them to buy or at least to want to continue moving forward.So identify your various types of buyers and write a two-page description of each of them as if they were an individual person. Don’t get too carried away – 4 or 5 different types are about the right number.In marketing, these are called “personas”.If you’re interested in learning more about the use of personas, check out Waiting for Your Cat to Bark by Bryan and Jeffrey Eisenberg.
2. Now make a list of all the questions each type of buyer is likely to need answered. What issues must be addressed before this buyer is going to buy?Typical questions might include: What will this product do for me? How long will it take? What if it doesn’t work? How much does it cost? How do I know you’re able to do what you say you can do? Can I customize the product? Who else is using this? What have you done for them? How does it work? Who is it for? Am I too big? Am I too small? Am I ready to do this? How else could I achieve the same results? And so on.
3. Next think about how you can answer each question for each buyer.  Do you  need case studies, testimonials, online demos, detailed specifications, feature-benefit analyses, webinars, white papers, interviews? How about resources, a forum or discussion group?Different personality types demand different persuasion tactics. Some appreciate facts, logic and lots of data. Some want to read about the experiences others have had with you. Others are bored by the details and just want to know what’s new or different. That’s why it helps to think of your buyer types as real people. You’ll find it easier to assign personality traits and actions to them.

Now go back and look at your existing website. Does it answer all of these questions?

No?

That’s okay. If you follow the above procedure you’ll have a great start on creating a much, much better website. Your buyer descriptions, questions and answers will be a tremendous value to your web site designers and builders and to your content creators. And, by the way, this info isn’t useful just for websites, it works for all marketing avenues.