#6: I have needs too!
Small businesses tend to forget just who their website was created for. It’s not your business, it’s not your shareholders, and it’s not your mother.
Your website exists to serve your customers, first and foremost. It may serve them by helping them buy your wonderful products, but your website experience is all about the visitor.
Why
People are selfish *shrug* They want to make themselves feel good above all else. Some people do this by hurting others, normal people do this by searching for experiences that add to their life. The sooner you realise this fact, the better your website will become.
So when a visitor comes to your website you want them to get the best experience possible. So good, that they might even buy some of your products…don’t faint yet…stay with me…
Surprisingly, the best approach to selling your products is not getting right in a person’s face and yelling “Buy my damn product!!!” Salespeople, advertisers, and marketers have tested this technique thoroughly and finally the results are in.
People don’t like being sold to.
So why would you make your website all about your business and your products? No one wants to read a sales brochure on the Internet. It’s just boring and doesn’t add anything to their life…unless they buy your product.
We need a new approach.
How
Your website should help visitors with what they seek. You should earn their trust by providing quality information that can help them out first. If what they need leads to your products, then that will happen in good time. But there’s no use jumping out from behind a flashing banner ad and yelling “Buy my product!”
Because we know that doesn’t work.
Instead, ask yourself how you could add value to your visitor’s life. Make their visit to your website worth something even if they don’t buy your products.
You’ll quickly find the more satisfied visitors you have, the more clients will appear wanting to buy your products…if they have a good reason to.
Homework
Look at your website and list the benefits a visitor gets from it. If there are none, make another list of what benefits you could offer visitors. Then go do it. If you already offer some benefits, add some more!
