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Don't Weave A Tangled Web (Site) The Marketing Partner's Sponsored Event
Marketing to Generation X
Guest moderator - Michael Blackstone - President of The Gen-X Press Call 410-309-9686 to register or for the information packet
Don't Weave A Tangled Web (Site) Before we get into your web site's architecture, let's be clear on its message and target. Your web site, like any marketing material you produce (and your web site is a marketing tool), should be created with your prospects in mind. It's basic to all marketing material and should be the underlying principle of your web site. With that said, let's move on to its architecture and presentation. We'll start with a few basic points and then add a little garnish. Taken together, they will get your users coming back to your site for more.
Have Your Site Load Fast According to numerous surveys and studies about web users, on average, people will wait 5 to 8 seconds for a page to start loading before they begin getting frustrated. This goes for the Generation X users who like it fast and easy, and for most other users as well. You can speed up the downloading process by having the text load first, especially on your homepage, and then follow up with graphics. In most cases, the graphics will be more visually interesting, but the text will load faster. So let your text grab your site visitors first - make it valuable or intriguing - and they'll wait the extra few seconds it takes to download the graphics. When it comes to your homepage, use it to quickly explain to visitors what they will find inside and they'll probably head inside before the graphics are fully loaded. Once inside, don't overload your pages with too many complex graphics on each page. Just because you've lured visitors into your web site doesn't mean they'll stay. They'll be willing to wait a little longer for your information to download, but they won't endure poorly responding pages. Stick to quicker downloading pages and you won't chase your visitors away.
Keep Your Pages Short and Visually Interesting Remember that your viewers are looking at a screen. If they have to scroll several times through long, complex pages, and then scroll back to review a point or two, the whole experience will become tedious and they'll lose interest. Spread your information over several short pages instead. Shorter pages will keep their attention, plus they'll be quicker to print if your prospects want hard copy for reference.
Make Your Site Easy to Navigate Don't take for granted that your visitors will know how to move around in your site and find the information they want quickly. You want to make your site as easy for them as possible. Help them navigate by including short menus at the top and bottom of each page that link to other pages and groups of information. Use the links to map out several different routes to get at the same page or pages of information. Not everyone categorizes information the same, so give them a few options. There also may be several relevant stops along the way that will catch their attention.
Use E-Commerce And Make Your Site Secure Use your site as a point of purchase and let your prospects, now customers, charge it directly online, right then and there. Remember, your visitors want it fast and easy, and if they have to pick up a phone, download and fax an order form, or heaven forbid, use snail mail to complete the transaction (it sounds slow just reading it, doesn't it?), they'll probably move on.
Include Contact Information Don't rule out telephones, snail mail and email. There's still a certain amount of comfort many users get when they know there's a name and address attached to the other end of their modem. So be sure to include a phone number and email or snail mail point of contact for more information. You might also want to use your contact information, particularly your email, to solicit feedback. It's an easy way to gauge how your business is doing.
Those are the basics. Now for that little extra.
Create Some Interactivity On Your Site This can be in the form of surveys, discussion groups, etc. People generally like to give, confirm and share opinions. Surveys and discussion groups enable them to participate in these kinds of activities. Plus, participants will pass your web address on to friends, co-workers or business acquaintances so they can participate, effectively expanding your vertical market.
Update Your Site Often If your site gets stale, you'll lose visitors. If you update it with new information, they'll keep coming back. If you add pages of information on a regular basis and let visitors know when and how often to visit to read the latest information, so much the better.
The Marketing Partner comments and submissions to info@mpus.com. Previous issues are on our website at http://mpus.com/tmp/. Marketing Partners Incorporated 410.309.0596 Copyright ©2002-2011 Marketing Partners Incorporated, All Rights Reserved http://mpus.com/
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