First Impressions

The problem of overloaded home pages

2010-08-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Many companies load their home page with tons of information, buttons, etc for their viewer. In most cases, this tells me the company does not understand their audience.

Its like you are telling visitors, "We don't know what you want to see, so you figure it out from all the stuff we throw at you." That may work for frequent visitors or after someone is engaged with the site, but it seldom works off the bat. Visitors end up frustrated and confused

Create a simple home page that tells visitors what you do, who you do it for, and what makes you special. From their guide them to where to go to get the details. I bet your results will improve.

We've Got Great Customer Stories-Now Find Them

2010-07-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

One of the most frustrating things I find with many Web sites is that their customer testimonials are buried deep in the site or below the fold. This is one of the biggest mistakes a company can make that has great customer stories.

They should be front and center on your Web site---possibly the easiest information to find. A great home page should make it easy for your visitors to understand:

1. What you do
2. What makes you special in doing it
3. Proof points of both

Short customer testimonials are a great way to provide those proofpoints ("We saved XYZ company $X dollars s and generated $Y in additional revenue by doing our stuff").

That could link to a more detailed case study or more details on your product or service.

Similarly, I often find case studies spending more time telling me about the customer and their issues, with the solution and value buried on the second page or in the last paragraph. Give me the results first, then I'll read the detail if I like what I see.

Do your Web site and case studies hide what really matters?

Lazy Lead Generation on High Tech Web Sites

2010-07-18T06:09:00.000-07:00

How many high tech company Web sites have you visited where you have to provide information to get product details and white papers? Lots of them, right?

But some do it better than others. I was on a site yesterday, where I had to provide my name, email, and some demographic information everytime I requested to see a paper! I never left the site, but they did not take the effort to remember me (cookies, etc.). Instead, their marketing department now has about 10 duplicate leads (leads that aren't really leads because I was researching as an individual to gain some understanding of a new market).

How do you do it right?

1. Tell people ahead of time which content will require a registration.

2. Remember their registration information so they don't have to enter it multiple times.

3. Ask the purpose of the download---let your marketing team know if this is a real lead.

But beyond that, ideally, some (or most) of this content should be "free"---just give it to them on the Web site, or give them a synopsis of the three key messages of the material. Let them figure out if its of interest and if it merits a registration.

Forced registration to get information that is readily available on competitor's Web sites is one of the biggest turn-offs in high tech marketing. Why get "leads" that aren't really leads?

Welcome to our First Impressions Blog

2010-07-18T04:30:00.001-07:00

First Impressions is a blog about marketing. My company, FeedbackFast.com, focuses its efforts on finding ways to communicate with audiences quickly and concisely.

Why? Because first impressions count. If your Web site or marketing materials don't immediately engage the viewer, they leave or tune you out.

Get the initial impression right, and your audience will look for more. Most companies spend way too much time focused on the details. Details matter, but only if people see them.

How often have you visited a Web site, or picked up a brochure, or watched a flash "promotional" clip, and stopped reading/viewing in less than a minute? Probably more times than you can count. I know I have.

In this blog, I will share ideas and examples of ways that companies are making first impressions count, and ways that aren't so good. Hopefully, this will help you figure out how to make that positive first impression that starts a longer term relationship.

Enjoy.