Remember the famous line from the movie Field of Dreams, "If you build it, they will come"? In the world of Internet marketing, you not only want them to come, you want them to stay.
The Internet is fast-paced. Your visitors decide very quickly whether or not you have what they want. There are five strategies that will help you engage your visitors and encourage them to explore what you have to offer.
Make Your Site About Your Visitors Not You
In order to do this, you must clearly know your target audiences and what you anticipate they will be looking for when they visit your site.
For example, your target audiences could include the client groups you serve, potential donors, policymakers, members of the general public and the media. In order to get and keep their attention, you must quickly let them know that you understand their needs and have a service or product that meets them.
Remember, your visitors want to know what's in it for them.
Make Your Site Easy to Navigate
Limit the navigation choices your visitors can make. One recent study found that many sites offer an average of 25 options from the home page. That's too many. In addition, make sure the wording of your navigation bars gives your visitors a clear idea of what they'll find. You want to make it easy for visitors to get the information they want.
Visitors who get confused or frustrated leave.
Make Your Web Site A Funnel
You want visitors to decide that they want to get to know you. Give them easy ways to learn that you can meet their needs.
Let me give you an example. If you provide health-related services, guide them to content that gives them health tips they can use. Then let them know that they can receive this kind of information regularly through your monthly e-newsletter. Give them an opportunity to subscribe. Then lead them to content that talks more directly about your programs, services or products and the benefits of what you offer.
Draw your visitors into the work of your organization.
Use Testimonials
Word of mouth is one of the best ways for people to learn about you.
You can get the same result with testimonials.
Ask your clients what benefits they got from participating in your services or activities. Ask board members to tell you why they chose to become involved with your organization. Ask your volunteers what benefits they get from working with you. Then ask their permission to use what they said as a testimonial and put those testimonials on your site.
Testimonials help visitors feel more comfortable with you.
Make Your Site Interactive
Use short assessments and other feedback mechanisms to engage your visitors. Offer opportunities to attend events or to volunteer. Make sure that visitors can easily contact you - both online and offline.
Interaction starts building a relationship.
Take a fresh look at your web site. Look at your site's organization and content in terms of these strategies. What action can you take right now to encourage your web site visitors to stay?
Judith Rothbaum's passion is helping nonprofit organizations thrive. She gives seminars, workshops, presentations and coaching programs nationwide with one key message - think boldly about who you are and the impact you have in your community. Visit http://www.datafordecisionmaking.com to learn more.
home cleaning services Deerfield ..Web usability is perhaps the most important factor in any... Read More
Are you thinking that it is about time your small... Read More
If you are anything like me, your website is a... Read More
Audio can provide an added dimension to your site. It... Read More
If you were like me and you have just started... Read More
Probably you know someone who has created a web site... Read More
Marketing is not an easy skill to acquire.It requires patience... Read More
CNN.com's designers have gone out of their way to make... Read More
Conventional Wisdom states you should use Sub-Directories to organize your... Read More
Gone are the days when you had to rely on... Read More
The Psychology of ColorAre you using the best colors for... Read More
When your web site sells more than a dozen items,... Read More
Unless you are an inventor, most likely you are selling... Read More
Any kid, and their grandmother too, can make a webpage.... Read More
In learning webpage design, I encountered many problems that took... Read More
What pages need to be included on your website? The... Read More
Hire a designer or a programmer for your website is... Read More
I always have people asking me if I know of... Read More
Most of us know that we need to advertise our... Read More
Web design is a very competitive area and there is... Read More
So, what's in a website design anyway? And, how do... Read More
There are more than billions of Web Sites, running Online... Read More
The Internet is a relatively new medium. What works for... Read More
In the of-line marketing world it is all about trying... Read More
Now that you have decided that it is time to... Read More
recurring housekeeping Highland Park ..As of September, Smartads went through what so many have... Read More
If one more business owner tells me their website sucks... Read More
First off, I am a designer. Now you're thinking, here's... Read More
I once created a notepad-like editor. It is possible with... Read More
When building your website you might not have a large... Read More
ActiveX uses an interesting method for enforcing security ... it... Read More
Websites that have multiple pages usually have a Frequently Asked... Read More
Choosing a web designer can seem like a daunting task.... Read More
CSS or Cascading Style Sheets has opened up tremendous possibilities... Read More
It is a well-known fact that a successful business depends... Read More
There is unlimited possibilities when it comes to designing a... Read More
Since I'm a web designer, I have a tendency to... Read More
Drop Capitals are frequently used in many newspapers, books and... Read More
We would all like to have the best looking website,... Read More
Over the course of the last decade, the Internet has... Read More
Setting up a survey on your site is extremely simple... Read More
About two years ago, I had a go at commercial... Read More
One of the simplest things you can do to give... Read More
There are literally thousands of different options, styles and formats... Read More
Where does a person start when setting up a website?... Read More
A search engine robot actually reads the wording on your... Read More
Home PageHome page should clearly indicate what the site is... Read More
Well it is not Elvis, that's for sure.I am a... Read More
So you've decided to take the plunge. You know that... Read More
Being a writer, when I was asked to do some... Read More
Web Design |