Giving your customers and visitors some way to interact with you on your web site helps build a stronger relationship between you and your potential customers which leads to higher conversions and retention of existing customers. Feedback from your visitors also lets you know what you are doing right and what you may need to adjust to better service your target audience. You can make your web site more interactive with some of these systems.
Autoresponders
An autoresponder delivers a message or an attachment instantly by email. It can work for you 24 hours per day delivering information without being at your computer. Visitors and customers can request information any time of the day and instantly have it in their mailbox. This will save you hours of manually responding to requests and increases your chances of making a sale at the moment a visitor open to your marketing message. Since they have requested the information, you can be sure that they will read it. Gathering their email address also gives you the opportunity to follow up with them again.
Blogs and Commenting
Blogs are an ongoing conversation you are having with your visitors. Some bloggers do not allow comments on their site, but giving your visitors the ability to comment not only makes your blog a two-way conversation, but it also allows your content to build on itself automatically as well as encourages promotion to your site (other bloggers use Trackback URI for cross-linking their blogs and comments on other blogs). Allowing comments also helps you determine what the hot topics are to your visitors and current clients.
Bulletin boards
Message boards and forums are popular with web surfers as they allow people with similar interests to meet up and talk about the same topic. If you sell pet supplies or offer pet-related services on your website, then pet owners can log on to discuss pet-related topics on your site. You can join in to answer questions or give advice to your visitors– building your credibility and status as an expert. This can only help to build a trusting bond with your business as people will come back to your site again and again for news and information. You can occasionally spotlight special offers within the your bulletin board pages to entice visitors to purchase your goods or services.
Chat rooms and Webinars
Chat rooms and webinars are similar to discussion forums, except they operate in real-time. Chat room visitors can meet up and chat to each other like they were having a conversation in real life. Webinars are expert-lead discussions on a pre-set topic.
For example, say you are a supplier of golf equipment. Golfers from all over can meet up in your chat room to share their golfing experiences and tips. Or you could hold a weekly or monthly webinar for visitors to learn something about golfing. You can answer questions and give advice, thereby asserting your knowledge and expertise. You can even bring in ‘guest speakers’ which, surprising to some, still increases the perception of your expertise.
So, where do you think these golfers will turn to buy their golf equipment? At your site, where they know that you are an expert on golfing and can provide free help and advice.
Instant Chat Support
Instant Chat Support is similar to a chat room, but its intention is to create a one-on-one conversation with clients or prospects and someone in your organization that is available for questions and support. Prospects can instantly get answers to questions that may otherwise keep them from purchasing your products. Clients can readily have their concerns addressed or problems logged. A big benefit for Instant Chat Support (over say, phone support) is that both parties can easily multitask and avoids long ‘hold’ times or busy signals.
Guestbooks
Guestbooks are a simple way to give your visitors somewhere to air their views on your web site. Guestbooks has fallen out of favor with website owners, as many of the old guestbook scripts are easily exploitable by link spammers. As with all interactive features, you need to monitor the nature of the comments your visitors make. Guestbooks can still work, as long as you set up a reasonably secure system and are willing to monitor your guestbook comments (deleting anything that is inappropriate).
Newsletters
Email newsletters enable you to regularly keep in contact with your customers and prospects, thereby continuing to build relationships with them and encourages repeat sales. You can provide updates of new products, special offers, new information on your website, etc. There are strict policies regarding bulk emails, so make sure you use an ‘opt-in’ system for your newsletter.
Polls and Surveys
By placing a vote function somewhere on your website, you can get quick feedback from your visitors. This can be used as a form of market research. For instance, if you are thinking about adding a new product line or service at your business, you can ask your visitors whether they would be interested in it. This can save you valuable time and energy, knowing whether they may or may not sell before you even stock the products or develop marketing for a service.
YNot Web can help you add any of these interactive features and conversion systems to your existing website or create a whole new website that is optimized for client prospecting and conversion. Call us at 916-225-5266 for a quote today.