| NewsletterSeveral years ago an Alabama State Trooper came upon a young boy fishing off a bridge at night. The Trooper stopped and asked the boy how the fishing was. The boy replied, “It would be great if these damned worms wouldn’t bite.” The Trooper took his flashlight and shined it in the bait bucket. To the Trooper’s amazement he found the boy was using baby rattlesnakes for bait.
Web sites are very much similar to this situation. If you’re using the wrong bait either you’re going to be bitten or your web site won’t work correctly.
The Wrong Bait
Just last week I had the opportunity to speak with a couple of businesses. Both of these businesses had web sites and when I reviewed those sites I discovered they had the wrong bait. One site was a single page site on Geocities which promoted, poorly and I emphasize poorly, her beautiful songs. The only way people could order her product was by first contacting her. The site had been created for “free”. Free food might be good, but free web sites are not any good.
The second site was using frames. The site was in such disarray that some links point to the wrong places. The business couldn’t sell their products even if they wanted. The business had paid a modest fee for the site, but the site was no where near where it needed to be to properly promote the business nor the products and services offered.
Not only were both of these businesses using the wrong bait their bait was biting them each time the site was accessed.
The Right Bait
When a business begins to have a web site designed their first goal should be to find an Internet Strategist that understands marketing on the Internet. Web designers simply design web sites and developers simply program web sites. There’s no way they could even come close to understanding how to market a web site on the Internet.
Case in point, have you ever wondered why there are businesses out there that focus solely upon SEO consultants and pay-per-click managers? Simple, they understand that point and focus their energies and talents to that end. Some are less than ethical and clearly put your site in harms way.
Advertising companies tell their clients that beautiful graphics elicit emotion. Advertising companies have worked in three mediums for so long that they are only taught those three mediums. Those mediums are television, radio, and print. All three deal with limitation of space which includes time. Then they approach the Internet with the same concepts and understanding. This is incorrect thought.
What are Web Sites?
Web sites are your way to educate your customers, provide customer service, and promote your products. Some will say they are miniature billboards or interactive print advertising. Neither of these would be correct.
Web sites should provide your potential clients with enough education that they can make educated decisions about your products and services. Think about what your sales clerk or salesperson is required to do. They educate the customer through a series of questions and answers. During this process the salesperson is making notes and understanding the customer. Then they make suggestions that meet the customer’s needs.
Some web sites have achieved this level of interactivity. However, I don’t see it working for every instance. Therefore, a web site must have enough information on it to enable the customer to self-educate themselves and determine which product meets their needs.
Copywriters will tell you that you need a lot of information and make it verbose. This isn’t exactly true. Some copywriters get paid based upon the number of words they string together. If I’m paying one dollar per word, I certainly want the information to be as brief as possible while still explaining the benefits of my products and services. Succinct communication leads to better understanding.
Consider for a moment the reading comprehension exams we all took in school. The tests would start with sentences, then a single paragraph, and then multiple paragraphs. Are you aware that as the amount of information increases the level of understanding decreases? That’s a fact!
So, What Bait Do You Need?
In order to discover what it is you need your web site to do, we must first consider your business model. The web site should meet the business model. The business model should never have to meet the web site.
