Have you ever been trapped at a party talking to someone who simply WILL NOT SHUT UP about themselves? They tell you where they went to college. How successful they are. How many awards they've won. How wonderful their children are. How their company is the industry leader in whatever it is they do.
Twenty minutes later, you know everything about them, and they haven't asked you a single question. You're desperately looking for an exit. Maybe pretending your phone is ringing. Maybe considering climbing out a bathroom window.
Congratulations. You've just experienced what it's like to visit most business websites. And the really sad part? The people who own those websites have absolutely no idea they're doing it.
Your Website Has a Personality Problem
I see this ALL THE TIME. A business owner spends $10,000, $20,000, sometimes $50,000 building a beautiful website. Gorgeous photography. Fancy animations. A logo that probably cost more than my first car.
And right there, at the top of the homepage, are the immortal words: "Welcome to ABC Enterprises, a leading provider of innovative, customer-centric solutions since 1997."
WOW. Be still, my beating heart. I can barely contain my excitement. Tell me more about your commitment to excellence!
NOBODY CARES. Okay, your mother might care. Your employees might pretend to care because you sign their paychecks. But your prospective customer? They're thinking about THEIR problems. THEIR frustrations. THEIR money. THEIR future.
They didn't come to your website to attend your company's annual awards banquet. They came because they need something. And if you don't make that clear within seconds, they're gone.
Imagine Going on a First Date With Your Website
Picture this. Your website sits down across from a potential customer at a nice restaurant. The conversation goes something like this:
Customer: "I've been having this really frustrating problem..."
Website: "We've been in business for 23 years!"
Customer: "Okay, but I was hoping you could help me..."
Website: "We have 47 highly trained professionals!"
Customer: "That's nice, but..."
Website: "WE WON THE REGIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD IN 2019!"
Customer: "Check, please."
That's not a sales conversation. That's a hostage situation. And yet businesses spend thousands of dollars driving traffic to websites that behave exactly this way. Then they wonder why nobody calls.
Pretty Doesn't Pay the Bills
Now, don't misunderstand me. I'm not suggesting your website should look like it was designed in 1998 by your nephew who just discovered Microsoft Paint. A professional appearance matters.
But here's something far more important: Your website's job is not to impress people. Its job is to persuade people to take action.
That means answering a few very important questions. Why should I care? Can you solve my problem? Why should I trust you? What makes you different from the other 37 companies I just found on Google? And what, exactly, should I do next?
If your website doesn't answer those questions, all the fancy graphics in the world won't save it. It's like putting a $5,000 designer suit on a guy who has absolutely nothing interesting to say. He looks terrific, but he's still going home alone.
Stop Talking About Yourself. Start Talking About THEM.
Here's a little experiment. Open your website and count how many times you use words like "we," "our," and "us." Now count how many times you talk directly to your customer about their problems, desires, frustrations, and opportunities.
If your website sounds like a corporate autobiography, we may have discovered your problem. The best marketing doesn't begin with your credentials. It begins with a conversation already taking place inside your customer's head.
It makes them think, "Wait a minute. These people understand EXACTLY what I'm dealing with." THAT is when they start paying attention. THAT is when they start trusting you. And THAT is when they're far more likely to pick up the phone, complete your form, or schedule an appointment.
Your Website Doesn't Need a Makeover. It Needs Some Social Skills.
Before you spend another $15,000 redesigning your website, consider the possibility that the design isn't the problem. Maybe your message is boring. Maybe your offer is confusing. Maybe you're making visitors work too hard to figure out why they should do business with you.
Or maybe your website is simply that obnoxious guy at the party who won't stop talking about himself. Whatever the case, more traffic isn't going to fix a website that doesn't know how to sell. It's just going to introduce more people to the problem. And that can get expensive.
Want to find out whether your website is attracting customers or scaring them away? Let's have a conversation about making your marketing work harder, smarter, and more profitably.
Go to www.meetparthiv.com and let's talk.
To your success,
President
eLaunchers.Com