Mars and Venus have never communicated well or played nice together. Generations raised with computers (Mars) have expanded the internet universe to include a wide array of communication tools and possibilities. Older generations of business website models (Venus) are having a rougher time trying to keep up to the times simply because they don’t understand their customers behaviors and habits.
You Tube? Podcasts? Texting? Argh! What is a business to do!? How do you choose mediums that work for your business and the customers you are trying to reach? Rebecca Lieb, Vice President & Editor-In-Chief, The ClickZ Network introduced Bryan Eisenberg, Co-Founder, Future Now Inc. Bryan is from Mercury and he has the answers.
Not Your Mother’s Internet
Who is the customer? They are not the same customers from the days gone by. Customers now want to be active participants. They have shorter attention spans and they want to be in control. Customers decide when or how. The advent of cell phones, DVR devices, Tivo and the Internet put the customer in control. Customers now ignore marketing B.S. and avoid the friction of sales people. The Internet provides real information and no friction – it won’t argue or try to convince you to do something more.
Television marketing isn’t going to get your message out as more than 30% of people surveyed are sleeping while they watch tv. More than 40% said they are using the internet while watching tv. Connect your television marketing with your website. A good television ad will generate immediate traffic to your site. Think about what you want that customer to see on your site when they get there. The tv ad and your site should have the same look. And remember, it’s never about how many people visit your site – it matters on how many are converting to cash.
It’s All About Control
Consumers trust other consumers over anyone else. People don’t like to be over-marketed and will block most marketing. But they still want to buy. And they want to buy on their own time.
The buying process has gotten easier online but only 26% of people report having a good shopping experience online. Most retailers are not making the experience good. Images should be easily enlarged, consumers want to read reviews, be able to read fonts, know immediately in stock availability, they want to have answers to their email questions within 48 hours.
Focusing on the customer experience will increase sales. Companies spend too much money on getting people to the site but they aren’t designing the site for easy use by the consumer. Conversion rates have fallen to 2.4% on average. Customers desire meaningful experiences. Your actions matter more than the words.
Word of mouth – texting, blogging, podcasts – move information faster than ever. Interconnectivity moves at lightning speed. We are all connected, want to participate in the conversation. The consumer wants to have a dialogue, to participate and to be more in control. Customer service is so much more important as word of mouth travels so quickly and can make or break your business and capacity to make more money.
Consumers still go through the same process of buying as the always have. The objective of your website is to make the process as easy as it can be. Buyers begin with interaction, then information gathering. Then they make their decision based on their life style.
Does Your Site Stink? It Should.
With Google searches, web pages must have the SCENT – content relevant to the query. If a site is not useful, customers will click the back button. Sites must contain the content or links to content for what the user is looking for. Consumers will do one of three things upon visiting your site. They will see the page and immediately leave (no scent), or go through some pages and leave anyway (lost the scent), or they will buy your product (smells like money to me). The job of your website is to make the user want to buy. More than 75% of visitors to your site will leave within 3 clicks or less. Make it count on the first click into your site.
Consumers don’t like to work hard to find what they want. Anything online needs to be moving as fast as the customers do. No one internet marketing tool will work. You have to use them in combination and understand your customers.
