Category Archives: website navigation

How a Website Can Double, Triple, or Even Quadruple Your Sales

0
Posted by admin on August 18, 2008 – 8:40 pm
Filed under Copywriting, attract clients, client attraction, online marketing, small business marketing, web copy, web traffic, website, website navigation

Online shopping is increasing in popularity. Just how popular is it? An estimated $204 billion dollars worth—an estimated 17% increase for 2008—according to a recent study by Forrester Research, Inc.

Many companies don’t need an area for purchasing on their website, but for those who do—especially retail companies—the above statistic should be enough to motivate you to get a website up and running if you don’t have one already. For those of you who have a shopping cart on your site, it’s crucial that you update your inventory on a regular basis.

A website is a powerful sales tool, yet establishing a strong online presence is a challenge to some businesses that are unfamiliar with how to compete and stand out among the millions of websites. For apparel companies looking to establish an online presence, this can be even more difficult as many of them, especially the small to midsized businesses, have little or no experience selling products and promoting their businesses online.

Let’s say you own a chic boutique downtown, and recently, your clientele has leveled off. You know you need a fresh marketing campaign, or something that will lift you out of that arid plain you’ve been sitting on and get you steady sales volume.

 You don’t want steady sales. You want skyrocketing sales.

According to the Forrester Research study, most online shoppers are visiting apparel stores online and spending $26.6 billion. How much of that $26.6 billion could you tap into?

Creating a website for online shopping for your boutique will greatly benefit your business. An online shopping cart will allow you to make money 24 / 7. The simplicity of virtual shopping is extremely attractive to people who are too busy to shop downtown or for those who want to save on gas. It also provides customers the option to shop whenever they want—not simply during regular business hours.  

There are two worlds out there: the real world and the online world. Get involved in both, and your sales are guaranteed to increase.

 

Want to know more about bringing your company online? Visit www.mlsalater.com to view the list of copywriting services.

Are You Sure Customers and Businesses Can Contact You?

0
Posted by admin on July 25, 2008 – 11:34 pm
Filed under Business Communication, Copy, Copywriting, Marketing, Marketing Tip, Small Business, online marketing, small business marketing, web copy, web traffic, website, website navigation

One of my biggest pet peeves is going to a website, which contains minimal contact information.

The internet is too vital a place to neglect this important information, as virtually all people use some aspect of the internet to communicate with others. It’s crucial to give customers options for contacting your company.

Customers love options because it allows them to choose the most convenient way for them to contact your company. Many people use email everyday, and it might be easier for them to send your company an email with an inquiry, comment, or suggestion rather than picking up the phone and waiting through a recorded message and being on hold for five or ten minutes.

Items that should be on your “contact us” page:

·       STAFF: I can’t tell you how many websites don’t have a list of their most important staff members listed. This is important because it adds a personal flare to your company and allows the customer to feel as though they are contacting an actual person and not just a company. People may be discouraged from contacting your company via email if they do not have a specific name or title to use.  

·       PHONE NUMBER: Provide a phone number for those who want questions answered immediately and who want to speak directly with a person.

·       EMAIL ADDRESS: Provide an email address for general questions and staff email addresses for more specific inquiries and comments.

·       MESSAGE FORM: Provide a form so that the customer can fill in questions and comments right there and not go through the trouble of creating an email. A message form should have boxes for customers to fill in their name, company name, cell or business number, email address, and their questions or comments.

·        EMAIL AND MESSAGE FORM COMBO: Sounds like a meal at a fast-food place, doesn’t it? An email address and message form would add even more options for your customers to contact you. 

Want more small business marketing advice? Subscribe to Your Business Marketing Solution, a bimonthly ezine filled with marketing tips and informative articles.

 

Double Sales with Web Copy

3
Posted by admin on July 8, 2008 – 3:13 pm
Filed under Copy, Copywriting, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Small Business, Uncategorized, online advertising, online marketing, small business marketing, web copy, website, website navigation

Selling products and services online can be a tricky task. Don’t shy away from it though because it could be the most effective way to sell your products, doubling and even tripling sales.  

The key element in online sales is to know how to promote your products in the best light. One of the greatest problems small companies have with their websites is a lack of traffic. Translation: there are not enough potential customers viewing their products or services online.
 
Many of the sites having these problems are ones created by companies that have only a basic knowledge of web design and web copy. A website with a few pictures and a couple of words describing a company and its products isn’t going to cut it.When people visit a website, they are attracted by the aesthetics of the site, such as layout, design, and photos. People reach these sites by typing keywords or phrases into their favorite search engines or clicking on links from other sites.

Websites with effective web copy will bring these people into their sites from search engines, increasing traffic. Once potential consumers are at a site, their attention must be grabbed immediately with the words, also known as web copy. These words can persuade a viewer to make a purchase from your site, subscribe to a newsletter, subscribe to an RSS feed, and or bookmark your site.

The harsh truth is, if a customer’s attention is not grabbed within the first few seconds of viewing a site, he or she is on to the next one that will keep his / her attention and evoke a response.

Web copy is also important in promoting navigation through the site. Your goal is to have the viewer click on certain links, such as contact information, newsletter subscriptions, and the company’s blog. You need to have well-written web copy to motivate viewers to further investigate your site.If your company isn’t getting the traffic you need to further your business, then it would be a good idea for you to hire a copywriter. Many freelance copywriters who specialize in web copy. Copywriters investigate the most beneficial ways of marketing your company and design web copy to reach the right target market, pushing more traffic to your site.

What a good copywriter will do for you:

• Create a profile for your target market
• Utilize key words in the web copy (tags and links) that will push your site to the top of search engines
• Write a smooth and fresh web copy that contains no fillers, just vital information
• Create a personal and approachable style of writing, which connects to the viewer
• Put a creative spin on your marketing approach, making your site stand out above others
• Edit the web copy, so there are no mistakes

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Website Navigation: The Key to Gaining Customers

3
Posted by admin on June 19, 2008 – 4:23 pm
Filed under Copy, Copywriting, Marketing, Marketing Tip, Small Business, online advertising, online marketing, small business marketing, web copy, website, website navigation

The main goal of your company’s website is to initially attract the potential customer to the web copy. Web copy is placed on the homepage of your site, and from there a viewer must click on tabs in the tool bar to navigate to other areas of your site.

CAUTION: This is where many businesses lose their customers. Easy navigation is crucial. Eliminating any ambiguity about where to look for information within a site is important.

Easy navigation tips:
• Homepages are used as the link between all the tabs. It’s the place people will return to as the easy way to navigate to other tabs.
• Tabs need to guide visitors to information they are looking for quickly. Therefore, be specific and clear.
• Tool bar should be obvious at the top or left side of each homepage.
• Drop down menus from tabs are a great way to show viewers what information they will come across from clicking on that tab.
• Pictures can be used next to a word in the tab bar to better illustrate the information it will provide and to add visual aesthetics to your site.
• All parts of the site can be reached by using the links on the homepage.

Important tabs for navigational bars:
• About Us
• Contact Us
• About Our Products and Services

Being creative on a site can be beneficial for the customer because it adds more “zest” to your company, but when it comes to navigation tab titles, try to be as generic and clear as possible. Once the customer becomes confused about what your tabs provide, he or she will already be looking at a competitor’s site. This is easy to avoid, so don’t lose customers to something this simple.

Make it simple. Make it fast. Make it clear. Make it work. 

 

Want more marketing tips? Subscribe to Your Business Marketing Solution, a bimonthly ezine filled with marketing tips, market trends, and informative articles.