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Why Doesn't my Small Business Web Site Sell?
by Jeremy Cohen
Many small business owners are
disappointed by the ability of their web site to generate new
business. Simply having a web site does not guarantee its
effectiveness as a marketing tool. If your web site is unable to
consistently generate new leads and prospects you may well be
disappointed in your investment in your web site. Does this sound
familiar? If so, you may be making one of several common mistakes made
by small business owners when they decide to turn to the web for more
business.
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Here are five common mistakes that can hinder the marketing
performance of your web site.Failure to Measure Traffic
Every so often when I speak with someone who is dismayed at
their web site's ability to generate revenue I am surprised
when they tell me they don't know how many people visit
their site each month, day, hour, etc. Measuring the traffic
to and through your web site is critical for understanding
the marketing prowess of your web design and the
effectiveness of your advertising efforts.
If your web site enjoys lots of traffic, say over 1000
visitors a day, but generates one or two sales a month you
can be pretty sure there is a deficiency in your web design.
If you are not measuring traffic to your site you do not
provide yourself an opportunity to identify and correct the
problem by seeking and implementing better marketing design.
On the other hand, if your web site generates a small amount
of sales and you don't know that only fifty people are
visiting your site each month you deny yourself the ability
to realize that you have a fantastic web site and that
marketing it better will lead to a significant increase in
revenue.
If you are not measuring your web site's traffic you are
missing opportunities to increase your ability to generate
sales and be more successful. If you are not currently
measuring traffic to and through your site you can move your
marketing forward by integrating the tracking service
provided by one of the many companies that provide web
metrics. Two such providers are webtrends.com and
webstat.com.
Poor Marketing Message
Another reason web sites fail to sell is that they do not do
a good job of delivering a compelling marketing message.
Without an excellent marketing message you risk losing your
visitors to other web sites because it is not immediately clear to them that you
can help them with what they seek.
One sign that you may have a less than stellar
marketing message is that it does not speak directly to the consumers
who become your clients. Your marketing message should identify
exactly whom you help. If you help more than one population you can
easily cater your marketing message by changing just a word or two. Be
sure your marketing message clearly indicates whom you help and you
will notice an improvement in you sales success.
Another sign that your marketing message is not
hitting a homerun is that it does not clearly demonstrate that you
provide what your customers seek. If you sell handbags and your
marketing message is "glamour can be yours" then you are missing the
boat as this marketing message fails to indicate at all that you sell
handbags.
To correct a dysfunctional marketing message make
sure it clearly identifies your target market and the results they
seek. Once you have a great marketing message you can use it in your
web site and your other marketing material.
Don't See Big Picture
Another common shortcoming of small business web
sites is that many fail to realize a fundamental marketing concept:
most consumers who make a decision to buy something make the decision
to do so after 6 - 8 contacts with some form of marketing for a
particular product or service. Failing to realize and act upon this
marketing fact will hinder your ability to grow your business.
The purpose of marketing is to establish your
business in the marketplace so that consumers think of you when they
are ready to act to fill a need or desire. By regularly getting your
marketing message in front of your market you can help them associate
what you do with what they need. You can also attract more clients by
demonstrating your expertise to clients in your marketing material.
How are you going to get your marketing message in
front of your market often enough to help them associate your products
or services with the problem they need solved or the need they need to
fill?
Poor design
Do visitors to your web site do what you want them
to do? If they are not it may be the design of your web site that is
preventing your visitors from taking the action you want them to take.
The design of each of your web pages is instrumental in guiding the
actions of your visitors.
So what constitutes good design? Good design stems
from the skillful integration of graphical and textual layout, color,
shape and choice and flow of content. If your site does not have the
content your visitors seek you will strike out each time someone
visits your page. If your web pages don't put what you want your
visitors to see immediately in front of them you will miss
opportunities to sell. If your choice of fonts and colors make your
pages difficult to read your visitors will likely move along to
another web site they can understand more easily.
To identify if your web pages suffer from poor
design ask yourself the following questions:
- Does my text stand out over my background color?
- Does the design of my site focus my visitor's
attention where I want it?
- Does my content give my users what they want?
If you answered `No' to any of the questions above
you can improve your ability to get your users to do what you want by
taking steps to correct anything that may be wrong.
Failure to Focus on Client Needs
When people visit your web site you want them to
read through the content of your site. By doing so your visitors
develop a sense of how your product or service can help them. If your
copy doesn't focus on your clients' needs and desires they will be off
to another site in a blink.
If your visitors are quickly leaving your web site
it may be because your copy does not focus on their needs. Here are
some common mistakes to avoid:
- Don't focus on the process or method you use to do
your job
- Don't focus on your existing clients
- Don't focus on your experience
- Don't focus on the quality of your product
By making any of the above mistakes you detract attention from the reasons that
are going to help your clients make the decision to buy from you. You
may be very proud of your accomplishments, and you should be, but
focusing on them does not address your clients' needs.
Copyright © 2004-2005 bettermarketingresults.com & Jeremy Cohen
The author, marketing coach, Jeremy Cohen, helps small business owners implement proven marketing strategies to attract more clients and grow their business. Inquire about his coaching
service or request his free marketing guide: Jumpstart Marketing: More Profits, Clients and Success at:
www.bettermarketingresults.com
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