Melon Corporate Blog
Your website may have more power than you think.
As the world turns increasingly towards the internet for almost any possible need–from grocery shopping to buying iPods to finding a soul mate–it’s important to keep in mind the vast quantities of content available on the world wide web. In January 2009, the average web-using American went online 62 times, visited 115 domains, viewed 2,580 web pages and spent nearly 75 hours online, according to data from Nielsen Online.
But you can and should use these numbers to your advantage. Since people are already online, all you have to do is direct them to your site, and keep them there. And trust me, you want to. Three of the top four marketing channels for generating quality leads are online: websites, e-mail marketing, and SEO (search engine optimisation). According to a report done by the American Business Media and Forrester Research, 62% of business-to-business marketers said industry specific websites are effective at generating new leads.
Think of your website as a way of fishing for clients. Your bait has to be appealing enough to attract all sorts of fish, and luring them toward your hook is the first step to a successful catch. Will the fish bite, or will he keep swimming along?
Websites are often the first point of contact for potential clients. You only get one shot at a first impression, so you need to make it a good one. The first thing to think about is the overall appearance of your site–is it eye-catching? Are there flashy colours? Can you navigate around easily? Visually attractive websites form a positive impression in users’ minds, and this impression sticks–despite any successive negative experiences that may occur. Researchers from Carleton University have found that the brain makes a decision about any given webpage is just 1/20th of a second. You don’t have much time to impress, so drawing the customer in straight away is essential.
Now that you’ve captured their attention (“I think I feel a tug on my line!”), you need to keep it. 75% of web users judge the credibility of an organisation on the design of their website, according to a study done by Stanford University. If you’re site is poorly designed, contains spelling errors, communicates poorly, or takes more than four seconds to load–sorry, mate, your fish is going to set itself free and swim away to the more promising bait on the other side of the lake.
Don’t rely on taste, either. Your bait may be worthy of a five-star restaurant in New York City, but if it doesn’t look appetising, no fish out there will give it a second glance. The same goes for websites. It doesn’t matter how superior your product is, or how much better you are than your competitors–an initial negative impression from a poor or slow design can steer customers away from your website. They’ll find a more attractive, better designed website, and will never get a taste for how great your company really is.
After all, there are plenty of other fishermen out there, and they’re all doing everything they can to out-fish you. In 2008, $412.2 billion was spent on marketing and advertising in the US, with over 30% of those billions spent on company websites and other online advertising. As newspapers and print journalism shift to an online medium, so too are marketing strategies. Spending on websites and profile pages rose 26.8% from August 2008 to August 2009. When marketing professionals were asked in which media they intended to spend more money this year, two thirds of them said “my own website.” Competition is harsh, but Melon Media can help you accomplish your needs.
In 2007, 17% of retail sales were influenced or made on the Internet; this number is expected to rise to 43% by 2012. With the proper tools, your website can bring in customers from all over the world, dramatically increase sales, and improve your company’s reputation before a single phone call is made. So find that perfect bait, cast it out in the vast ocean of World Wide Web users, and watch your business grow like the pile of fish beside you.
For examples of what NOT to do, check out the most poorly designed websites of 2009
Blog Categories
Archived Entries
February, 2012December, 2011
July, 2011
May, 2011
April, 2011
March, 2011
January, 2011
December, 2010
October, 2010
September, 2010
July, 2010
April, 2010
March, 2010
February, 2010
January, 2010
October, 2009
September, 2009
August, 2009
July, 2009
June, 2009
May, 2009
April, 2009
February, 2009
January, 2009
December, 2008
November, 2008
October, 2008
September, 2008
August, 2008
July, 2008
June, 2008
May, 2008
April, 2008
March, 2008
February, 2008
January, 2008
November, 2007
October, 2007
September, 2007
Comments - oldest entries appear first, most recent entries at the end.
Leave a comment:
All comments are moderated, name and email fields are mandatory, but only the name will be displayed in the comment, your email address will remain private, and will not be added to any lists. The requirement of the email address is to help ensure that the comments are being submitted by legitimate people.