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 TURN CLICK-THRUS INTO
SALES WITH STREAMING MEDIA
by Ronni Rhodes
I read a very troubling statistic the other day. It said that the
closing ratio for online selling was only 1.75%!* When you combine that fact
with the knowledge that 67% of shopping carts are abandoned, we have a very
bleak picture of the world of e-tailing. How can we improve upon these
statistics and increase our sales?
The folks who run Future Now (http://www.futurenowinc.com), a consulting firm
which specializes in helping web retailers sell, say that marketing, while
absolutely essential to the success of a website, is not enough. Marketing only
brings the customer to the point where they might buy. Then, you have to
SELL!
I'm not going to rehash everything that you know about building a
viable and customer oriented website. (You can find that information in any
credible online newsletter.) I am going to tell you how to use streaming media
to enhance your visitor's website experience and help him/her to make that
crucial buying decision. Remember, people make purchasing decisions based on
emotion even after they've done rational research!
Let's explore
some possibilities.
Testimonials: People really do listen to
other people's opinions and relate to their experiences! Instead of printing
customer testimonials, why not ask people to send them to you via audiotape or
on a video? If people are hesitant about creating their testimonial, go see
some of your local customers in person armed with your own recording equipment.
After making them feel comfortable, ask them to tell you why they like your
product and how it helped them. Encourage them to speak in their own words.
They'll be flattered that you asked, and their satisfactory experience with
your product will be a powerful incentive for others.
FAQ's:
Almost all of us have a "Frequently Asked Questions" page on our websites. Does
anybody read them? Take a look at some of the questions that you receive from
potential customers. (I'm willing to bet that over half of them are probably
answered on your FAQ page.) Have your FAQ page done with audio! Ask a friend or
employee to act as the customer by asking the questions. Have the other person
answer the questions and refer your visitor to the pertinent page on the site
that goes into the answer in depth. Hearing these questions and answers,
instead of just reading them, gives your customer a sense of empowerment and
adds to the trust that you're trying to create.
Show As Well as
Tell: Instead of just talking about the features and benefits, let's see
someone ACTUALLY USING THE PRODUCT! Selling cooking knives? Let's have someone
slicing a tomato or chopping an onion. Selling giftware? Let's see someone
arranging flowers in that beautiful cut glass vase. Selling an electric drill?
Let's see someone using that drill to perform a task. Selling a cookbook? Let's
look at someone preparing an actual recipe. Selling home decorating equipment?
Let's watch someone painting a wall or putting up wallpaper using that
equipment. Use your imagination!
Ask yourself, "why are those
late-night infomercials so entertaining and successful?"
Instructions: So many printed instruction sheets and manuals are
difficult to read and often have confusing pictures. Use video to simplify the
assembly process and address common user errors. Have a real customer help you
if possible. Talk about some of the mistakes people have made during assembly
and how to avoid them. This is also your chance to discuss any issues that are
critical to product performance and safety. Keep building customer trust in
you, your company, and your product.
Guarantees: Make your
product warranty and your company's promise of satisfaction personal. Use video
to deliver this powerful message. Share your name and E-mail address with them.
Give them your company's "Personal Satisfaction Hotline" number. Tell them how
to reach you via snail mail. Make people confident that they are doing business
with a company that cares about its product and how it performs.
Streaming Media is a natural way to motivate purchasing. It can be integrated
into your website as a means to help people get over that "hump" when they
haven't been able to see or touch a product. Use it to calm customers' nerves,
build their trust in your company, and to keep their excitement about your
product alive.
A "born" salesman knows how to listen, observe, and
focus in on a potential customer's desires. In the absence of that, businesses
on the Web must use the technological tools available to replicate that human
experience. Streaming Media is one of those tools. By using it creatively, with
the customers' needs and wants as your primary focus, you'll see those
click-thrus turn into sales.
*"First Annual Survey on E-Commerce
Service," June 1999, Net Effect Systems, N. Hollywood, Calif.
The sale on announcements is an history essay. Passenger transportations on Peter.
Ronni Rhodes is the owner of WBC Imaging, a woman-owned
Internet company that specializes in web site enhancement utilizing streaming
media technology. With her husband, Don, a broadcast engineer, they work with
companies to incorporate streaming as part of successful and meaningful sales
and marketing programs.
Please direct all questions and comments to:
Ronni
www.
Feel free to reprint this article for non-commercial use
but please do so with contact, links and copyright information intact.
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