| What makes one e-commerce web site a raging | | | | all your adverts. |
| success, while another similar one barely | | | | |
| gets a visitor much less sells anything? Ask | | | | Use Sig files on ALL emails |
| any small business owner and you're likely to | | | | |
| get a range of answers from "Cool technology" | | | | Sign up affiliates and pay them a commission |
| to "A really sexy web site", and more likely | | | | |
| than not: "Being Number One on the Search | | | | |
| Engines".Important some of these things may | | | | Use a Viral Marketing email campaign |
| be, they're not actually the core elements | | | | |
| for success! And it's for this reason that | | | | Publish email newsletters and information to |
| most people go wrong when they go online. In | | | | build an email list |
| fact, the main factors, or decisions, that | | | | |
| make a web site successful or not, take place | | | | Research your market carefully to find out |
| long before a line of code is written, or a | | | | what methods people use to find and buy your |
| graphic designed or anyone puts finger to | | | | product/service and concentrate all your |
| keyboard to write any copy. We list below, in | | | | efforts on those channels. |
| order of importance, the ten things you | | | | |
| should concentrate on if you want your | | | | 7. Make Sure Your Web Site Copy is Clear and |
| e-commerce web site to be a rip-roaring | | | | Persuasive |
| success:1. Do Your Research | | | | |
| | | | Perhaps the most overlooked element of web |
| The first thing that you must remember (and | | | | site development these days is copy - that |
| this is the bit that everyone seemed to | | | | is, the words been all those pretty pictures, |
| forget in Internet "Gold Rush" of 1999) is | | | | flash animations, and whizzy functions. A |
| that the same business principles apply to | | | | great deal of web site copy on the internet |
| your internet business as any other. You | | | | today is utter rubbish, and many online shops |
| must: a) Have a product/service with a solid | | | | feature hardly any at all! You get a welcome |
| perceived need; b) you must be able to sell | | | | message, product titles, pictures, maybe a |
| it at a price that is profitable and provides | | | | few specifications, and great big "Buy Now" |
| good value to the purchaser and; c) you must | | | | buttons. Once again, it seems that people |
| be able to reach a sufficient number of | | | | jump onto the Internet bandwagon and forget |
| potential purchasers (and convince them to | | | | that there's a real human being on the other |
| buy) to generate enough revenue to make your | | | | side of the computer screen and he/she wants |
| business viable. And to find out that, you | | | | information and wants to be treated with some |
| need to research your market. Thoroughly.The | | | | respect. Basic business rules still apply, |
| first and most obvious thing you need to find | | | | and with some modification, your approach to |
| out is the "need" factor. Note I said | | | | your web site should be similar in many |
| "perceived" need, perhaps better described as | | | | respects to traditional mail order or direct |
| a "want". We buy lots of things we don't | | | | distance selling. And the golden rule of mail |
| need, because mainly we think we need them. | | | | order and direct selling? The more you tell, |
| So, will people benefit from your product or | | | | the more you sell! Professional copywriters |
| service? Do you genuinely believe you can | | | | throughout the marketing ages have known this |
| convince people they need it? To find that | | | | all along. The theory has been tested to the |
| out, you have to ask them! But we're not | | | | ends of the universe and the result is always |
| there yet: it's one thing having a product | | | | the same. Long copy outsells short copy every |
| that people do actually need, but if there | | | | time. But there are some rules and some |
| are already lots of people supplying it, then | | | | adaptation of this basic fact when thinking |
| you might have a problem with part b. You are | | | | about the web:General rules: |
| only going to be able to sell your product | | | | |
| service at a profit AND and a price people | | | | Your copy should be clear and concise in its |
| think represents good value if 1) Not many | | | | construction |
| other people provide it or 2) yours is better | | | | |
| (and/or cheaper - but for reasons explained | | | | Every sentence needs to be short and snappy, |
| later, this is not usually a good route to | | | | with short words |
| take). Again, you must do your research and | | | | |
| find out before you do anything else. And | | | | Where possible, one sentence per paragraph |
| finally, can you reach this market | | | | (if it's sales copy, editorial is different) |
| cost-efficiently and find enough people to | | | | |
| buy from you? This is the one great strength | | | | Use headlines, sub heads and bullet points |
| of the Internet and e-commerce: it's much | | | | |
| cheaper, it's faster and has a much wider | | | | Every single statement should contain a |
| reach that any other communications channel | | | | fact, benefit or persuasive argument. Don't |
| so far invented! But it still costs time and | | | | waste a word! |
| money, and you have to be realistic, so you | | | | |
| need to research your market and work out if | | | | Spend MOST of your time creating headlines, |
| you have the time and money to reach it.2. | | | | they are the single most important factor in |
| Work on your Strategy | | | | direct mail sales success and the same goes |
| | | | for the web. Special Web Rules: |
| OK, so now you know, hopefully, that there | | | | |
| is a need for your product or service, that | | | | Break up copy that's more than about 500-700 |
| not many people offer it at the price/profit | | | | words long into seperate pages |
| value level that you can, and you know that | | | | |
| thousands of people who use the internet a | | | | Always try to close the prospect at the end |
| lot and who you know from your research can | | | | of each page as well as having a "more" link |
| and do buy online, will want to buy it from | | | | to the next page |
| you. So now you work on your strategy. This | | | | |
| is key. You cannot simply say "Hey, we've got | | | | Try to include a close or buy link above the |
| a great product and a big market, let's slap | | | | "waterline" (ie before they have to scroll to |
| up a web site and we'll get rich!" You need | | | | read the next paragraph or sentence) |
| to sit down and carefully work on how you're | | | | |
| going to do all of this. You need to know | | | | Try to inject as much "personality" into |
| what your goals are. If your goal is to "sell | | | | your copy as possible. A web page can be a |
| lots" you'll sell nothing! I Guarantee it. | | | | particularly "cold" place - so add as much |
| You need to work out where your want to be in | | | | human warmth as possible. Remember, people |
| 1, 3 and 5 years time at a minimum and then | | | | buy from people they like. |
| work back from there. If you start with that | | | | |
| and work back, then a lot of the pieces will | | | | 8. Make Sure your Navigation is Easy, and |
| fall into place. Your strategy should apply | | | | that your Web Site Design and Backend |
| to all your business, and your web site or | | | | Technology are all focused on a Great |
| Internet bits will only be a part of it (a | | | | Customer Experience |
| big part, perhaps...). For example, if you | | | | |
| have a product with a big ticket price, and | | | | Only now should you be thinking about the |
| you only sell 5 a year, then you don't want | | | | build of your web site and its technology. |
| to start planning in a shopping basket system | | | | It's at this point, you can finally consider |
| and credit card payments! Selling on that | | | | your web site's design and how it will look. |
| scale will need lots of relationship building | | | | Remember, web design (any design) is |
| and face-to-face interaction, so you need to | | | | subjective. No matter how much time or money |
| work out how your Internet/e-commerce | | | | you spend on it, or how proud you are of it, |
| strategy will enhance and benefit that. A | | | | a certain proportion of your visitors will |
| good web site to that will impress people who | | | | still think it's crap. But guess what? They |
| pay £50,000 for your product? A newsletter | | | | don't care, and if you get everything right |
| system to help keep in touch during the long | | | | it has almost no bearing at all on sales. But |
| sales cycle? It's a completely different | | | | there are three important elements to web |
| approach to selling £20 watches....3. | | | | site design:1. Ease of navigation comes |
| Concentrate on Existing Customers | | | | FIRST. Make sure your fancy page design |
| | | | doesn't confuse and frustrate your customers. |
| If your business is already up-and-running | | | | Keep it simple. And bearing in mind that no |
| and you're simply adding an Internet presence | | | | matter how good the site looks, lots of |
| or improving on it, then your existing | | | | people will hate it, so make sure the design |
| customers should be treated like Gold. They | | | | is not overbearing. Make sure that, whether |
| can actually help you bring your business | | | | your customer likes your site or not , it's |
| online. Test the waters with them, ask them | | | | not an issue!2. Get it done professionally. |
| what they think at each stage, build the | | | | Good, professional design inspires confidence |
| system around them and their needs and you'll | | | | in your customers, and on the web that's a |
| end up with a template that will help you | | | | precious commodity. They may not always like |
| expand online in the sure knowledge that it | | | | it, but they'll appreciate that it's been |
| will attract and help keep new customers. | | | | done professionally, and that therefore |
| And, of course, if you do it right, you can | | | | infers that your are a professional |
| start making extra money online right away, | | | | company.3. Make sure that the site is clean |
| without a single new customer, by using your | | | | and uncluttered, and avoid too many flashy |
| web presence to save money and improve | | | | animations, whizzy bits, and Flash downloads |
| relationships with your existing customers so | | | | that will slow your site down and annoy your |
| they buy more from you.4. Make Service a | | | | customers, no matter how "cool" you think |
| Priority | | | | they are. And whatever you do avoid "front |
| | | | Door", "click here to enter our site" |
| While the Internet can help you cut costs | | | | intro-type pages AT ALL COSTS! Especially |
| and make your business run more slickly, | | | | Flash ones. They are utterly pointless and |
| you've got to remember that it can also be | | | | delay your customer from getting to what |
| very impersonal. One of the most valuable | | | | they're after, which is information about |
| things I've ever learnt is that people buy | | | | your company/products/services.And finally, |
| from people they like. And they don't like to | | | | the technology - especially the "Shopping |
| be let down. The media is littered with | | | | cart". So long as it works properly, doesn't |
| stories of people who managed to click and | | | | mix up customers' baskets, can cope with |
| pay for something online only to wait weeks | | | | demand, and deliver orders reliably, then |
| for it never to turn up. Emails don't get | | | | your choice of "cart" technology will have no |
| replied to, phones don't get answered (if the | | | | bearing whatsoever on sales success. Other |
| web site even publishes the number!), and | | | | than that, your technology and the complexity |
| they get constantly fobbed off. Yet the | | | | of your system will be dictated by what it is |
| Internet is an ideal tool for delivering | | | | you actually need to achieve. We've mentioned |
| better customer communication! But many | | | | newsletters, CRM, customer support & service |
| businesses use a flash web site to hide | | | | and so on - all your technology choices MUST |
| behind... That's another quirk of the | | | | be made to make these things easy for you to |
| Internet - it's possible to gain customers | | | | manage and to enhance them. And most of all, |
| more quickly than traditional methods, but | | | | your technology must ALWAYS be geared towards |
| you can lose them like lightening if you | | | | a great customer experience.9. Get Pricing in |
| provide a poor service. News travels fast on | | | | Perspective and Think about your Market |
| the internet - even faster if it's bad | | | | Positioning and your Value Proposition |
| news...5. Work out your Communication and and | | | | |
| Customer Relationship Management (CRM) | | | | There's one final myth about the internet |
| policies and procedures | | | | (and business in general) that I'd like to |
| | | | explode and it's this: People buy on price. |
| As I mentioned before, the Internet provides | | | | The myth that you must be cheap, even |
| excellent tools and opportunities to build | | | | cheapest, on the internet has grown |
| relationships with customers and clients. By | | | | exponentially, especially with the advent of |
| this stage of your planning, you're chomping | | | | shopping price comparison engines. Combine |
| at the bit to "get something up and start | | | | this with the widely held (and largely |
| selling" but winning a customer is a bit like | | | | correct) belief that using the Internet to |
| wooing a woman (please forgive the sexist | | | | sell reduces cost, most people think that |
| nature of this analogy!). You don't run up to | | | | price is the only issue, and that you must be |
| a woman you like a scream in her face "I want | | | | cheaper than everyone else to succeed. |
| to have babies with you, NOW!" So why do | | | | Nothing could be further from the truth!A |
| people do this online? You need to build into | | | | buying decision is a bit like an iceberg, of |
| your plan ways and means of starting and | | | | which the price element is the highly visible |
| growing relationships with your customers and | | | | tip. The bulk of the decision reasoning takes |
| clients. You need work out ways of opening a | | | | place hidden away from view, and many in |
| dialogue, finding out about them, and helping | | | | business ignore it at their peril. When a |
| them find out about you. Did you know that | | | | customer says to you that you're too |
| research shows that people generally visit a | | | | expensive, they are not actually saying that |
| web site seven times before they feel | | | | your price is too high. What they're really |
| confortable enough to buy anything? So what | | | | saying is that they are not convinced that |
| are you going to do that makes your web site | | | | the benefit your are offering exceeds the |
| interesting enough for people to visit seven | | | | investment they have to make. They don't like |
| times just to look at it? And when they do, | | | | your Value Proposition. The problem is |
| what then? Is it like a one night stand? Or | | | | usually that you haven't convinced them |
| do you send them emails asking if they are | | | | enough about the benefits, not that you're |
| happy with the product/service? Can you send | | | | charging too much. On the internet, this |
| them a regular newsletter that they find | | | | brings us back, actually, to point/step seven |
| interesting? And do you have a system in | | | | where I explained the massive importance of |
| place to manage all of this - for example, | | | | your sales copy. If your web site is simply a |
| can you track how many times a customer has | | | | catalogue of products and prices and a |
| been contacted, by what method, and what was | | | | shopping cart, what else has any site visitor |
| said? You can and should build up a valuable | | | | to go on when making a judgment other than |
| database of detailed customer information, | | | | price? So you've cornered yourself |
| their buying habits, what they like/don't | | | | immediately. You have no option other than to |
| like and a system for contacting them on a | | | | go cheaper than your competition to make the |
| regular basis.6. Offline/ Online Marketing, | | | | sale. If, however, you make a big deal in |
| Search Engines & Pay Per Click | | | | your web copy about the benefits of buying |
| | | | from you (like prompt delivery, great |
| Ah, search engines. The magic bullet of | | | | service, reliability, money-back guarantee, |
| marketing... or so the Search Engine | | | | free insurance or whatever you can think of) |
| promotions "experts" would have you think. | | | | then suddenly, price is not an issue. People |
| The holy grail for many is "being number one | | | | will pay your higher price for peace-of-mind, |
| on the search engines", and great though that | | | | great service and extra benefits than taking |
| is, your success or failure actually hangs on | | | | a risk with the cheap, nasty web site that |
| what happens when all that traffic gets to | | | | might let them down. And when you feel under |
| your web site - it's got nothing at all to do | | | | pressure to drop your price, say for a |
| with being No1. In fact you can actually | | | | special offer, why not try adding a free |
| bankrupt your business by being No1. A sudden | | | | extra benefit instead? It's much more |
| flood of traffic can burst your bandwidth | | | | effective and more profitable! Instead of |
| budget, have you running to Dell or HP or | | | | knocking 10% off, offer 10% more!Another |
| whoever for more servers, bring your web site | | | | issue that you need to look carefully at, |
| to it's knees, and, if all those visitors | | | | especially on the Internet where credibility |
| turn up and don't find what they're looking | | | | is hard to achieve, is your Market |
| for, you make virtual enemies of thousands - | | | | Positioning. Your prices say a lot more about |
| even millions - of potential customers. Once | | | | your company than you think. Although people |
| again, before you even think about Search | | | | like to say they love a bargain, every single |
| Engines, you must go back to your research | | | | one will make the assumption that cheap = |
| and your strategy and start again from there. | | | | nasty. If your prices are too low, people |
| Ask yourself: What is my ideal customer? What | | | | will assume there's a catch or you're cutting |
| search engines do they use? What key words do | | | | corners. If you want to position your |
| they use to find services/products like mine? | | | | business as the best in its class, then |
| What's my USP? What magazines do they read? | | | | people will only feel good about you if your |
| Are there cheaper/better ways of reaching | | | | prices are at the top end of the range. Too |
| them than via search engines? There are, of | | | | low, and suddenly they lose faith in you |
| course, certain low-cost/no-cost golden rules | | | | because "something doesn't ring true". If |
| that everyone should follow. Your web address | | | | your prices are "unbelievable!", then so are |
| and email address should be printed on all | | | | you!10 Tackle Fraud & Security |
| your stationery. If you send out catalogues, | | | | |
| promote your web site in it. Add a | | | | Internet fraud is a big, big issue and you |
| promotional message (including a link to your | | | | can't ignore it. Most online customer will |
| web site) at the bottom of all your emails | | | | admit to being extremely wary of handing out |
| (this is sometimes called a signature file or | | | | credit card details online, especially to new |
| sig file). The key is to think about your | | | | web sites that they have never come across |
| promotion from your customer's perspective. | | | | before. So, you need to have security and |
| If you do that, then, at least as far as | | | | fraud policies in place and (here we go again |
| Search Engines are concerned, you can focus | | | | about copy!) make sure you tell your |
| on relevance. Make sure that people who find | | | | customers that you have these and you will |
| your site via search engines are actually | | | | take great care of their personal |
| looking for what you have to offer and are | | | | information.At the very minimum you need: |
| ready to buy. You are relevant to them and | | | | |
| they are relevant to you. If my sales target | | | | A secure server and SSL certificate for your |
| in my strategy is to sell 100 units a week, | | | | order pages |
| then all I really need is 100 buying | | | | |
| customers from Search Engines. If I use all | | | | A privacy policy that clearly informs your |
| the tricks in the book and haul a million | | | | customers that you pass their details onto |
| visitors in who aren't even vaguely | | | | nobody and that you keep them safe. |
| interested in my widgets, I'm wasting their | | | | |
| time and my money. To sum up, you should: | | | | |
| | | | |
| Aim for a number one Search Engine listing | | | | One of the best solutions is to use a |
| ONLY for well-researched, highly targeted key | | | | Payment Service Provider (PSP) to process |
| words and phrases | | | | your credit cards for you. The better known |
| | | | and respected ones such as WorldPay are best, |
| Use Pay Per Click facilities such as | | | | because the general public are aware of them |
| Overture to get quick results and control | | | | and know that they have strong security |
| your budgets | | | | measures in place. And from your own |
| | | | perspective, you gain some protection against |
| Make sure you don't waste offline | | | | law suits and some relief from the risk and |
| opportunities. Publish your web address/email | | | | responsibility of looking after customers' |
| on all company literature and include it in | | | | valuable credit card information. |