E-Psychology: Increasing Your Sales On-Line

As any successful entrepreneur knows, there's more to generating on-line sales than owning a web site. To produce sales, your web presence must be effective, easy to navigate, and properly marketed ? all of which require a well-rounded understanding of your target client.

But how do we get inside the collective mind of our market? The key is psychology ? in this case, e-psychology ? or the science of understanding how consumers shop on-line. Understanding how consumers make the purchase decisions on-line will allow you to develop web site content that appeals to the maximum number of prospective clients.

World Wide Psychoanalysis

Internet advertising isn't the same as print advertising. Web surfers tend to read less on-line, instead using visuals such as photos, animation, and colorful graphics to gather information. From a development standpoint, this places an emphasis on site navigation and overall layout.

The motivations behind on-line purchase decisions differ from those generated by more familiar mediums. To achieve success, your on-line sales strategy must embrace these differences.

Let's begin by glancing at the web sites of your biggest competitors by sales volume. Chances are, the primary content is designed to accomplish three goals:

* Generate interest, usually by eliciting or identifying a need

* Convey the unique value of their specific product or service, and

* Promote a transaction.

To produce sales on-line, your web site must do more than serve as an information resource about your company. Your site must ask for the business. Each page of the web presence should lead to an action step promoting a sale or contact request.

On- or off-line, asking for the business is the only way to achieve any greater result than educating prospective clients about your industry and product or service.

Writing For The Web

The foundation of any purchase decision is the desire for a product or service, usually based on a pre-existing need or want. Selection of a specific product or service provider begins when a consumer identifies a company that offers a value most compatible with the consumer's perception of value.

Start by writing your web site's content to elicit the general value the product or service provides. Introduce solutions generated by having the product or service, based on the typical ultimate desires of the target market. For example, the benefits of developing a web site for a small business may include increased sales, expanded credibility, and a 24/7 on-line purchase option.

Next, build on this general foundation by introducing the features, benefits and value of your own company. Remember that surfers tend to do less reading on-line, so you'll need to accomplish a great deal in each line of text. Each sentence must:

* Convey the tangible and intangible value of your product or service

* Include key terms and phrases effectively describing your industry and products/services

* Promote prospect-to-client conversion

* "Hook" the surfer, encouraging further reading

Use plenty of bulleted lists to highlight information at a glance, making sure to limit the number of words used in each bullet. Regardless the space available or font size used, each highlight should not exceed one line of text.

Paragraphed text such as sales copy or product descriptions should be kept simplistic, yet appealing to the physical senses. How will your product or service enhance the individual's life? What are the most common benefits of your version that existing clients do not recognize until after purchasing the product or service?

Keep Your Prospects Focused

One of the primary reasons prospective clients do not proceed with a purchase is their own inner dialogue. Typically, consumers will continually try to talk themselves out of a purchase, until absolutely certain it is the best choice for their need. When the positive elements of an opportunity outweigh the negative feedback generated by inner dialogue, a purchase will result.

Therefore, it is important to keep your prospective clients focused on the features, benefits and value of your company through effective site content. If you are serious about developing a business that will control a measurable amount of market share, your products or services will reflect Unique Selling Points (USP) upon which your entire sales strategy will be founded. Integrating your USP into all aspects of your web presence will help to build and maintain a cohesive, positive focus on your products or services.

Closing the On-line Sale

A client isn't a client until after a purchase is completed. Bringing your prospect to the point of purchase isn't enough; a smooth, effective closing process is required to maximize the potential for on-line sales success.

An effective closing process must reassure the prospective client's decision to make a purchase before, during, and after a transaction. This can be achieved by:

* Offering visible customer support options throughout the purchase

* Employing a user-friendly shopping cart and multiple on-line payment methods

* Clearly explaining each step of the purchase process

* Providing immediate transaction confirmation by e-mail, telephone, or your web site

Each step of the sales process is an opportunity to develop trust between your company and a prospective client. Developing long-term relations remains the best way to build a faithful, strong client base that will remain loyal to your business.

The infinite potential for your success is dependant only on the satisfaction of your most recent client.

Jim D. Ray is a seasoned web developer and president of Web Presence, a national web design firm serving the small business market sector. To learn more, or for a free quote for your own web site, visit the Web Presence at http://www.web-presence.net.

---

Free Content -- or Forbidden Fruit?

Dear Cathy:I just found an interesting article on someone else's... Read More

8 Things I Have Learned As An Internet Marketer

I started as an internet marketer, like I am sure... Read More

Offline Network Marketing Recruiting; Vital For An Online Business

I have become involved with many network marketing companies the... Read More

The Internet Marketing Pie: Slice It Up Right or Lose

The number one concern for Internet sales is your marketing... Read More

Researching For Niche Markets

When it comes to researching for niche markets, many people... Read More

Niche Marketing Nuggets: Picking the Gold from the Internet Mine

Building an Internet business based on a specific niche is... Read More

A Day in the Life of an Internet Marketer

I have been working on the Internet since 1998 and... Read More

Starting an Ad Campaign

Developing an ad Campaign for the Startup E-businessOnline advertising has... Read More

The Secret to Making More Money in Your Online Business: Lessons From Monopoly

Thousands and thousands of people are striving to make more... Read More

Marketing and the Hired Guerrilla

It's a jungle out there, so know and use your... Read More

Website Marketers Enemy No. 1

There comes a time in your efforts to market your... Read More

Truth and Lies

How low can one get? The number of encounters I... Read More

Autoresponders = Automatic Internet Marketing Success

What if you could send out all the information that... Read More

Increasing The Perceived Value of Your Product or Service

Whether online or offline, small businesses often show little faith... Read More

The Most Successful Internet Marketing Model - Start with Free Tools, Spend Money Later

There is a particular web site where I regularly place... Read More

You Know Youre an Internet Marketer When...

Did you make the switch from corporate slave to independent... Read More

Four Steps To Eliminate Frustration and Turn Your Online Failure Into Internet Success

OK, you've been bustin' your butt trying to make money... Read More

Finding The Right Internet Marketing Technique For You

Finding the right Internet marketing technique that works best for... Read More

How to Market Your Web Site with Ethical Linking

Your web site's search engine rankings are determined in part... Read More

Time Management And Organization For Online Marketers

TIME DEMON. For online marketers, time is one of their... Read More

Getting Some Good Ol Internet Real Estate

Real estate has made many people large amounts of money... Read More

How to Leverage the Internet in MLM

Most people who try to leverage the Internet to build... Read More

Progress to Success

It was supposed to happen in thirty days. Buy the... Read More

Using Back Links to Get Top Search Engine Ranking

There are no hidden secrets on how to rank high... Read More

The Numbers Dont Lie!

It's true. They don't.That's why you should look at the... Read More

Traffic, Money, How To Get There

Want more hits to your website or someone actually buying?... Read More

Simple Steps to a Great Banner Ad

Everyone is using them now and if you're planning on... Read More

Is Internet Marketing Saturated?

Is internet marketing and the potential for it saturated? I... Read More

Dealing with Refund Requests ? Internet Marketing

I think we all cringe and dread when we open... Read More

Double Your Revenues with Joint Ventures

The best way I know of to multiply your online... Read More

HOLY TRINITY: The Three Focal Points Of A Successful Online Venture

"For which one of you, when he wants to build... Read More

How To Make Money Online

Catch the cash on the net?in more ways than one.Thousands... Read More

Some Practical Guidlines for Getting Involved with Internet Marketing

This article addresses the 'how' and 'when' of getting involved... Read More