Would you ever go to a doctor you did not trust? Similarly, people will not buy from a brand they do not trust. Your level of trust is essential to your client’s becoming willing to buy from you. TodayMade asserts that it is not “the better product” that will win but “the guy with the best connection to his customer wins in today’s world.”
An Emotional Game
The act of buying is an emotional game. That’s why creating the best connection to your customers is so important. According to Inc., “Buying decisions are always the result of a change in the customer’s emotional state.” Looking at “value” alone is a logical step while most buyers are thinking emotionally about a purchase.
If you really want to generate sales, you need to get the trust of your clients. People are willing to spend more money if the product is coming from a brand that they trust.
Buyers want to feel an emotional connection to the brand they are buying from and if they trust your products, they will buy from you. Telling your prospective buyers about the great value your product has is not enough to secure a buyer because, ” …it is not the information itself that is important, but the emotional effect that the information has on your audience.” The information you share with your buyers should build up your trustworthiness as a company so instead of sharing how great your product is, share how much expertise you have.
So, let’s focus on building up our trust and watch the business come in.
]]>Unlike traditional marketing, social media requires only a few resources. For a small investment, businesses can reach out to a huge audience.
Then, there are a few platforms of social media that businesses should definitely use. Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn should all be included in any business’ social media strategy. Other platforms to consider are Instagram and Pinterest.
It’s important to be on several social media websites because they all have a different purpose. In addition, not all consumers are on every social media platform. Some people may have a Facebook page but refuse to join Twitter. A well conceived social media marketing strategy, will plan on which platforms to use based on who their typical users are. The goal is to attract as many followers as possible.
That being said, social media marketing shouldn’t be the only platform you invest in. Some businesses make the mistake of basing their entire digital marketing strategy on a single social media platform.
Sometimes, social media falls short in some areas. It doesn’t always have as good an ROI as email marketing. In most cases, Social Media Marketing, will barely address SEO or page ranking.
A Entrepreneur article talks about the pros and cons of social media marketing. The article warns against investing all of your resources in social media:
Your best bet is to make social media a cornerstone of your digital marketing strategy. Just remember that social media revolves around your entire digital marketing strategy, not the other way around.
]]>But how do you achieve these things with a web layout exactly? The answer is simple: you should design it in a way that makes it easier for users to find what they’re looking for, and take the actions you want (i.e. subscribing). Here are a few ways you can get started with this.
According to eye tracking studies, people scan their computer screens in the shape of an “F” – hence the name “F” pattern. This means that they first look at the top left of the screen and then scan to the right. This being said, users rarely pay attention to the upper right corner of their screens. To catch the user’s attention, then, design your websites so that scanning is done in the “F” pattern. You want to make scanning more natural for your user so that they’ll better digest information on your website. Check out this bvi property magazine’s website for an example of an “F” pattern layout,
Today, people are accessing websites from their mobile phones as much as they are with their laptops. Thus, you’ll want to make your website compatible with different screen sizes. You can either make your website responsive (adjustable to different screen widths) or build a dedicated mobile site. See the pic above for a mockup for a current development by the Parlance Media web pros.
To make content on your website easier to read, consider making your layouts grid-based. This will section everything into columns and boxes so that your users can easily find what they’re looking for. Parlance Media designed a website for a real estate agent in Canada who needed a grid layout for her listings. This
Navigation is about how easy it is for people to take action and move around your website. Some tactics for effective navigation include a logical page hierarchy, using bread crumbs, designing clickable buttons, and following the ‘three click rule’ which means users will be able to find the information they are looking for within three clicks. A good example of a site with a clear intent to get viewer to take action is this BVI vacation villa website Parlance Media put together for Golden Pavilion villa.
Your website should have a clear purpose, and your users should immediately recognize what the purpose is. This being said, it’s a good idea to understand what your users will be doing on each page and design it according to that.
If you would like to learn more about effective web design, get in touch.
Sources:
1. “Top 10 Principles of Effective Web Design” (Shortie Designs)
2. “8 Effective Web Design Principles You Should Know” (Conversion XL)
]]>This being said, here are three ways original web content can benefit your online business.
Original Web Content Is Better for SEO
In your SEO efforts, it’s crucial to understand that Google has an algorithm that checks if content is duplicate or not. If finds that it is, it labels it as spam. Google does this because it wants its users to find exactly what they are looking for, so anything that is considered spam will get the last slot in its search rankings.
Original Content Can Help You Position Yourself as an Expert
Positioning yourself as an expert is never a bad thing when doing business online. In fact, most consumers want to know that they can trust the online businesses they’re purchasing from. Writing original web content is a great way to show prospective customers that you truly understand your products, business, and industry.
Original Web Content Helps You Engage with Customers
One benefit of original web content is that it gives your business an opportunity to start a discussion with your social media followers. Whenever you share an original blog article, you can share it on Facebook and Twitter and see if your followers react to through comments or share it. If they do click on and share your content posts, there is a good chance your web traffic will increase.
Creating original content, of course, can be time-consuming, and that time comes at a cost. However, when executed well, original web content can increase traffic and help you engage with your customers in a meaningful way.
Get in touch with us if you see this message.
]]>Multimedia is a great way to spice up your website. Rather than bombarding users with text, you’re also giving them a visual option.
The deciding factor here is how quickly your business will add videos and pictures to your website. According to Business Insider, video marketing is about to grow rapidly, so it’s better to start sooner rather than later:
“In 2015, video marketing is going to be bigger than ever. If you haven’t taken the time to start experimenting with video, now is the time. You can start by watching this Video Marketing Success Webinar from Kissmetrics, which will teach you how to set the right goals and follow the right processes in order to accelerate your video marketing success.”
So, if you’re still on the fence about adding multimedia, it’s okay. Now learn about five ways, videos can improve your website experience:
Most of your website visitors will have no trouble reading your content. Also, others would rather absorb information visually. When you add videos to your website, you give users the choice of how they want to learn about your company.
Then, when users click your videos, you have a unique chance to inform them about your business. Videos are so effective because you have the full attention of users, as opposed to when they just skim over your written content.
If the goal of any company website is to establish a brand identity, and adding videos is an effective way to do that. It’s easier to show your brand voice and attitude in a video than it is in an article.
Something like informing users with videos isn’t always enough; you also have to engage them. That means adding a call-to-action at the end, prompting prospective customers to contact your business. This is an important step in getting your videos to generate leads.
There are many reasons to add videos to your website. If you’re on board with the idea but need help with the marketing process, feel free to contact us today.
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