|
As you may have noticed my newsletter is no longer as regular as it used to
be due to my work commitments. But hang on!
Today's useful tool is the WayBack Machine which
I discovered a few months ago. I suggest that you bookmark it. But before you
try it, have a quick read through the results of a survey from Interland about
the views of small and medium-sized US businesses on websites.
In this issue, I also share with you simple ways to get closer to existing and potential customers. Hope you enjoy this newsletter.
Henriette
Research: a website gives businesses the competitive advantage
A new study from Interland reveals that 78% out of the 780 leaders of small and
medium-sized US businesses surveyed feel that they have a competitive advantage
or a stronger economic footing because they have a website.
In the study, 76% of businesses said that their website generates leads, 53%
that it provides company credibility and 29% a critical block for product and
service development.
When asked how they measure the success of their website,
54% said it was through customer and prospect comments
48% through site activity and number of visitors
36% through sales leads
24% through online sales
21% through efficiencies of internal processes e.g. fewer phone calls.
“The results demonstrate that business leaders understand the importance of the
Internet, web sites and online marketing tools and are acting on that knowledge”
says Jeffrey Stibel, CEO of Interland.
Source: eMarketer.com, October 2005
10 simple ways to win online customer’s
confidence
Why would people trust you?
Your personal approach and reassurance can break barriers of reservations and
fear. To build your credibility and develop a one-to-one relationship, try
these simple and effective ways to gain potential customer’s confidence:
- Empathy
When providing solutions, first demonstrate your understanding of the
emotional component of the problem before giving the solution. How does the
problem affect someone’s life? You could start your pitch with ‘Do you suffer
from a debilitating migraine?’ or ‘Are you frustrated because…?’
- Give, give, give
Be generous with your information and share your knowledge and experience.
Don’t worry about giving away critical information. Learning is a moving target.
You cannot teach today what you will learn tomorrow. By sharing your knowledge
you will come across as a
expert to be trusted.
- Credibility
Provide testimonials from reputable sources to build your reputation..
- Privacy statement
Reassure customers that their personal details will not be disclosed to third
parties and will be kept secure.
- Personal insights
Reveal snippets of you or your life to connect on a personal level e.g.
display your photo.
- Consistent message
If you claim to be trustworthy, don’t sell dubious products for the sake of a
financial gain.
- Ongoing contact
Contact regularly potential or existing customers
regularly to build confidence and
develop a strong relationship. An email newsletter is an effective ongoing
communication channel.
- Personal correspondence
Personalise your messages. Use first names e.g. ‘Hi Karen’ rather than ‘Dear
valued customer’.
- Physical address
Cyberspace residents have nothing to inspire confidence. Provide a physical
address not just an email address.
- Direct email
Give a direct email address e.g. henriette@domain.com instead of
info@domain.com
Gain customers with your personal approach and reap the benefits.
© 2005 Henriette Martel-Lawson
WayBack Machine: free tool to
browse the Internet archives
Have you been looking forward
to open a new or a bookmarked web page just to find out that "The Page cannot be
found"? How frustrating this is!
The good news is that 40 billion web
pages have been archived since 1996 and you can access those archives with the
WayBack Machine.
And it's easy to use. Just
enter the web address of a site or a page and the search results will display
archived pages, if available.
With the advanced search features, you can retrieve
- the most recently archived copy of a specific URL
- an archived copy of a specific URL from given date
- all copies of a specific URL archived in a given time period
- all URLs for a site archived in a given time period.
Not all web pages are archived. But you may be lucky and find the one you are
looking for!
http://www.waybackmachine.org/
Feedback and suggestions
are most welcome. Send to
If you found this newsletter useful, why not send the link to a friend?
| 