I’m bossy.
I am not ashamed to admit this. As every female on my father’s side of the family is incredibly bossy too, it is clearly in my DNA and therefore must be tolerated.
(Kidding.)
(Sort of.)
And while most people loathe being told what to do, when they are shopping for products and/or services on your website they are begging for you to guide them.
Have you ever been on a website with so many pages upon pages and layers, and trap doors, and underground railroads that you got so frustrated trying to find the one freaking item you wanted that you bolted right out of there?
Even with just a few pages, viewers can get lost, confused, and backspace their way out before grabbing your super valuable free offering, or putting cash in your pocket.
Giving directions takes people through the sequence you want them to on your site. Yes, you want people to hire you or buy your products, but you also know that people buy from people they like. And people don’t like pushy sales douchebaggery.
They have to get to know you first, and feel comfortable with you. Potential clients and customers have to believe in you before they’ll believe in what you’re selling. Here are a couple ways to get them there.
How to tell clients and customers exactly what to do:
1. ‘Start Here’ Page: Using a start here page allows you to impress upon viewers who you are, what you stand for, and how you can help them, without them having to sift through your About page, blog, and sales pages separately. Keep this page simple—you’re trying to give them a sample, not overwhelm them with reading. Create a tab for it in your page menu, have it above the fold in your sidebar, and link to it at the top or bottom of any and all pages. I recently added a ‘start here’ page that I’m kind of in love with. You can check it out here (click image).
2. Links: Links are the street signs of your website—that voice on your Mapquest app telling you to ‘turn right in .2 miles.’ After someone is done on a specific page, you want them to hang around. Give them a reason to with links pointing them to where you want them to go next. The Linkwithin plugin is great for this at the end of blog posts. Or, at the end of a page with a free offering for example, you could say ‘Want more on shooting beautiful black and white photography—check this out!’ and link to the next page in your sequence.
Ultimately, your goal isn’t just a sale—it’s getting the sale and a raving fan.
Your site already has plenty to squeal about—you just have to show people where it is.
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Want more on connecting with ideal clients and customers? Click the image below to check out Read All Over: How to Write Smart, Add-to-Cart Worthy Copy that doesn’t Make People Want to put a Spoon in their Eye.
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