It used to be novel to have a web presence. The benefit of human nature’s overall resistance and fear of change is that opportunity is available for early adopters. The followers tend to get crowded by the noise of all the late adopters. There are too many unremarkable websites today. They contribute to dulling our senses as information surfers.
After web presence became a commodity, flash sites with heavy, overwhelming graphics and rich presentation became the rave. Make a good show and you might entice someone who would buy into the glitz.
Many are still trapped in the old mindsets of positioning. It is largely a baby boomer approach. Present a brochure which projects a strong image. The substance underneath is secondary. The problem is that our skepticism is high as buyers. We do not like being sold and we can sense it happening to us when it does.
It’s not about a website. It’s about connecting, helping and buying. We don’t need, nor do we want, to hear how great you are. Our senses have been dulled by too many pretensions. We want:
- Authenticity
- Education
- Empathy
- Simple Language
- Clarity
- Speed
- Precision
Too many websites are focused on one-to-many. It’s a strategy of hope.
A true strategy walks with the buyer in an automated, personal process. It is one-to-one with an identified buyer that wants you to feel their specific pain, articulate it, and help them educate themselves on their timetable. The web empowers us to take control of the buying process and boring websites only hinder us as buyers from our determined goal of meeting our own need.
If your website is set up like a brochure, tear it down and start over. If your copy is about you, destroy it and put yourself in the shoes of the buyer. Start from square one and articulate their pain before presuming their remedy. Remarkable websites start a relationship and nurture it over time. It’s a portal to next steps nurturing the customer based on their buying process.
