I commonly use the tag line “web solutions that work”. While this is a catchy tag line, it would be more accurate if I said “web solutions that CAN work”.
As a web designer I provide the enabling technology for a required web solution. Whether or not the solution ultimately works is actually more dependent on a client’s understanding and implementation of a sound marketing strategy than the underlying technology of their website. And more specifically, their understanding of Marketing on the Internet as it exists today.
The Internet is an enigma. Its power lies not just in its broadcast capability, but in its ability to set up somewhat more tailored connections between individual users, or groups of users. This may seem obvious. After all, we all understand the 1-1 or 1-many nature of email. Surprisingly however, its significance when applied to websites is only now just starting to be realised by many businesses – particularly small businesses. To this day most businesses tend to use their website to broadcast their message to whoever happens by with little or no attempt to really engage with them.
And the key to it all is in understanding that on the Internet, Marketing is a Conversation.
To explore this notion first consider these very basic aspects of what constitutes a “conversation” that we have all intuitively understood since childhood.
- Timeliness / appropriateness – It doesn’t matter how worthy something is that you have to say, if it is poorly timed, or inappropriate within the context of the discussion, not only will it not be appreciated, it may well generate a negative reaction. As a child, your Mother would say “Please darling, don’t interrupt”. Your mates no doubt were inclined to be a bit more direct …
- Participation - willingness to allow others to join in & contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way. This is how conversations become enriched through broader experiences & perspectives. None of us have all the answers – far better to draw on as wide a pool of knowledge as possible.
- Tolerance. In any conversation not all parties will share the same views, & not all parties will enter the conversation with the same goals. But there is one thing that is certain: failure to show tolerance will lead to a negative outcome & a lost opportunity.
To help me demonstrate why I think these underlying elements are so important to marketing, consider this simple example: let’s suppose a group of people are quite independently considering purchasing a dishwasher. They all share a general need for information but their specific needs will be quite different & driven by where they are in in the purchasing cycle.
They head for the Internet to do some research – searches may include such things as:
How do they work….? What are the important features …..? What type will fit under my bench ….? Are they quiet….? Energy efficient…..? How much do they cost….? Is delivery & installation available in my area….?
Clearly from the breadth of the enquiries it is not going to be a case of “one size fits all” when it comes to providing a content match for their searches.
Remember Rule No1? Don’t bother trying to push “Buy Now” prices at someone who just wants to know how a dishwasher works. They are not ready for that step & will resent the presumption that they are. It would be ill-timed and inappropriate, and not surprisingly has become known as “interruption marketing”. This style of marketing has long been the darling of mass media campaigns, but it appears to be proving less effective as time goes on in the Internet. Every site that uses inappropriate, interruption marketing techniques are just one mouse click away from extinction in the hands of their visitors.
The second rule of conversation was inviting participation. Let’s see how this can be done using one of our customers who wanted to do a classic comparison research: “Is it as quiet as….?”.
Traditionally this is handled by directing the customer to a comparison table or chart, which is an effective way to tabulate specifications.
But what about “user experience?”
Is the dishwasher quiet enough so the baby can still sleep? To a Mum, points plotted on a logarithmic dbA scale are unlikely to satisfy her needs. Her need is for conversation. What she really wants is to hear the experience of others in similar situations. And in fact, she is probably likely to consider the comments of other Mums as being more credible than those of the supplier.
Imagine the possibilities if the supplier still presented the features & specifications of the dishwasher but then threw the subject open to visitor comments. This could become a dynamic testimonial base providing a rich vein of user experience to other prospective customers. Looked at another way, this is a highly valuable form of pre-sales information because it is provided by people who are perceived to be independent.
Information – participation – satisfactory outcome. Now that is starting to sound like a more meaningful conversation isn’t it?
But what if all the comments aren’t positive? Forgetting about any offensive ones, that can & should be immediately removed, there will still be some visitors who may highlight a deficiency, or shortcoming, in the product when compared to others.
Which brings us to the last element of a conversation – tolerance.
And the good news is that tolerance, even in the face of a negative comment, can have its rewards. The reason is this: if there are 4 comments – 3 positive & 1 negative that are allowed to stand, the negative one will tend to increase the credibility of the process. The mere existence of the negative comment suggests that the site owner is not “doctoring” the results, which in turn makes the positive comments look more believable. Yes, this is pretty courageous stuff. However by allowing a conversation to become “real” its effectiveness is multiplied.
OK, enough of the cerebral stuff -I’m a web designer. If we accept that marketing when viewed as a conversation has merit, what enabling technologies do we need on our websites?
Unfortunately, while a detailed discussion of these technologies is beyond the scope of this article, I can highlight the pros & cons of a few common ones.
- Talk to an operator buttons. These use various Chat technologies and can be an effective way for the customer to get an immediate answer to a query. They can also be perceived to be more personal. The downsides are that such facilities must be manned for long hours if they are to be effective & the conversations are 1:1. No one else can join in, so the information that passes cannot be enriched through user experience, and cannot be readily shared with other users who may have similar queries. Really, it is just a “contact form” in another guise.
- A Blog – This enables visitors to read an article posted by the business owner & then comment on it if they wish. In this way each visitor to the site can express their opinion or get answers to their questions, while at the same time enriching the body of knowledge, and therefore the usefulness, of the site for subsequent visitors.
- A Forum is another excellent way to host a conversation. Forums are more suited to larger groups & while they can, & should, have a broad focus, the actual topics are best driven by the visitor rather than the business owner. Forums require regular moderation & do not suit all businesses.
In conclusion, next time you are enjoying the company of family & friends take note of how vibrant & interactive the conversations are, & how dull they would be if only one person was talking & all the rest were listening. And yet this is exactly the approach that most business websites take.
As an alternative, consider moving from one way broadcast marketing to shared conversations. It may require a mind shift, and will almost certainly involve a learning curve, but with such a tough year looming it just could give you the edge.
Good luck!
Often, when I talk with business owners and managers about their website, it is apparent they have a very limited knowledge of how to use the Internet to promote their business or the new website I’ll be building for them.
