Visitor to Customer: Part 5

“You are not the center of the universe.” is a phrase which has probably been directed at most people at some point in their life. Although encouraging people to look outside of themselves is a wise and honorable venture, when it comes to marketing, this principle just does not apply. The customer is the center of the universe, or at least they need to be made to feel that way. Visitors to your website can quickly become customers if they find the answer to “How does this help/impact/benefit me?” within seconds.

Consider your Audience.

Regardless of what you title your pages, all of your pages need to clearly communicate to the visitor how it connects to them. Even your company’s “About Us” page is not really about you; you are highlighting elements of your company which you believe will relate to your potential partners’ needs. The sooner you gear your website to reflect the visitor’s needs, the sooner you will see a conversion of visitors to customers. A visitor does not come to your site to be impressed by your third consecutive year as “Plumber of the Month”, but rather how you can help with their clogged drain specifically.

Explain how your products or services help.

Often, products or services are described using industry jargon which may leave your visitors feeling confused. Even if they understand what the product is or what your service does, they still want to know how it relates to them. Why do they need the energy efficient windows? If your product page highlights how it will save them money whenever the expensive winter heating bills start adding up or how their family will stay comfortable during the cold season, a visitor can start to see the personal impact and will be much more likely to purchase.

Be easy to communicate with.

Even if a business is a larger company, a customer wants to feel important to the company. One of the ways a visitor to your site will feel important is if you are accessible. Live chat could be specifically helpful for instantly making a visitor feel valuable. Before the visitor has time to get frustrated and leave your site, you have communicated that they are important. Even if you are not utilizing live chat, providing easy and prompt ways to communicate can accomplish the same task. If your company is using an online form for communication, make sure the visitor receives at least an instant response that their message was received and a promise that further personalized communication will be sent promptly. If a visitor has trouble communicating with you or does not feel like you value connecting with them, they will move on to the next more responsive option.

In the end, changing your mindset is vital to helping a customer feel important. If your website’s elements do not center on your customer, get rid of them. Change your site to benefit your potential partner base, not to just sing your company’s praises. If your site is visitor-focused, your company will never be short of customers willing to sing praises on your behalf.