First Impressions
by: Robert Nixon
Marketing and promoting a website is easy. All you have to do is submit your url and basic information to the various types of engines.
Promoting is the process of advertising ( submitting). Marketing is what your site does for you once someone goes there.
When you are promoting to engines,some will charge either with a money charge or requiring a link back, and some will not. The more information required to submit means you have more competors or the longer the submission will remain valid once it is accepted at what ever level you determine. Getting a 'free' submission to become higher in the returns can be done with some wise efforts in the corrrect places. You can pay a million dollars for a keyword but if your competition is listed more often across the board, who will the prospect go to?
Once the prospect goes to your site, can you keep them? Now you have to market yourself, your product or service. This is your chance to make an impression on your prospect. How does your site look overall? What message does it convey?
Having a site that keeps your prospects coming back and the ease of the purchase is paramount to producing income however. Getting prospects to come back depends upon your products 'shelf life'. How often do they have to re-new or re-fill? Is your product worth it?
This will depend upon your relaying of the benefits of your product or service for the prospect.
You will have keywords for the benefits and you will have keywords for the product or service.
You will want to give your prospects a choice. (are they cost driven or quality driven?)
Offer them short term and long term solutions.
Do they want to save money only? Then if you are selling forks, steer them to the plastic line.
If they are looking for something that will last, then steer them to the metal line. If they are looking for the designer type in order to use for 'special occasions' then steer them to the embossed line.
With each level the cost goes up but the so do the benefits.
Inside each of the levels you may have volume packages, such as ten for dollar of the cheapest, a serving set size ( for four,six,etc) or something likewise.
You may want to offer 'specials', or you may want to ask if they want to be notified of specials.
More cars are sold at the end of the model year because of the 'clearance' specials to those that could not afford to get what they wanted at the regular price. It is not just a car they want but one with a radio,heater,automatic transmission and power steering. If it was just a basic car, sure it would be cheaper ( if you can find one ), but people are driven by the benefits or peer pressure. My work truck has a stick shift,radio and heater, after all it only carrys tools and me to job sites. My family car has much more in creature comforts.
Content is all so critical and does not have to fill up your entire main site page. This is where you should put a 'for more information' link. Have more than one product? Then the brief description that will make them continue to that products 'link' or page is the key.
Bells and whistles?
Things like flash presentations,music, glowing banners, a lot of pictures don't really belong on the main site page. Should you have them? Sure, but have a link to them for the prospect to opt to see. They may be sold already, don't delay the process. If they are just browsing, then they will go there anyway to compare your product with your rivals.
REMEMBER
About The Author:
Robert Nixon - owner/webmaster of http://www.cpucash.net which is dedicated to assisting others with more productive websites and providing Information and other usefull items.
article@cpucash.net
March 2006
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