Website Marketing: Do You Use These 10 Emotional Words On Your Website?
When you’re telling one of your friends a new and interesting story, you stand in front of him, look him in the eye and say, “You’re going to love this…”. You have his full attention because you are speaking directly to him. and they are about to give you information that you will enjoy. Your website must behave similarly with your visitors, if you want them to promote your status from ‘an occasional casual visitor’ to ‘your active returning customer’.
In the opening paragraph above, the words ‘you’ and ‘your’ were used 10 times because they make the message personal and important to you; the reader.
The word ‘YOU’ is one of the most powerful words you can use to attract the attention of your website visitors and convey your message to them in a friendly and easy to understand way.
Another emotional word that not only attracts immediate attention, but can also quickly spark the interest and desire of targeted visitors, is the word ‘NEW’. This is because we are conditioned to expect a new product or service to be considerably better than the previous version and therefore worth purchasing. Many of us also like to be the first to have something new, because it gives us the opportunity to show it off to our admiring friends.
The word ‘FREE’ has been used successfully in marketing for over a hundred years, and despite its abuse and overuse on the Internet, it is probably the most important word you can use on your website. This is because we have not only become accustomed to downloading free content, but also expect it and are often disappointed when none is offered.
You need to offer your visitors something of value like a free download, if you want to not only keep their interest in your website content, but also take a positive action like signing up for your newsletter or making a purchase.
The word BECAUSE has been used five times in the previous paragraphs, and it is another strong word that you can use with great success on your website. Give the visitor the reason for making a purchase or subscribing to a mailing list; and you can justify your statement above. For example, you can say: “This new product will increase your sales, because…” Your visitors want to know WHY you are special, unique, better or different from others and use the word because it can give them the answers they need. Search.
Your visitors will want to know exactly how they WILL BENEFIT from something before they take any action; even for a free download they will want some good ‘why’ reasons before clicking on the ‘call to action’ link. You can even provide a list with the simple but great heading of ‘Your Benefits’, because this will quickly summarize why they should take action.
If you prefer not to use the word ‘benefit’, you still need to provide full details of the benefits your visitors will enjoy before they accept your offer.
It may well be the first time most visitors see your website, and one of the biggest hurdles you need to overcome is establishing some form of credibility. TESTIMONIALS can go a long way in giving your visitors some confidence that your product or service can deliver the benefits you promise. Written testimonials are great, but in today’s high-speed Internet, many visitors expect and enjoy audio and video testimonials from your customers.
The second element you can provide to your visitors that will bolster your credibility is your GUARANTEE. These come in many different forms, but a simple, easy to understand ‘money back’ guarantee if you don’t honor it is often the best. In addition to providing a written guarantee, provide full details of exactly what they have to do to request a refund. Use simple language that they can easily read and understand.
The word NOW is a powerful call to action. When you make a ‘call to action’, always end it with the word ‘now’, because it can substantially increase your results.
Two other words that you should use on your website are BUY and REGISTER, and you have to use them many times, because it is a proven fact that the more opportunities you give your visitors to act, the higher your response rate will be.
Don’t be afraid to use the words BUY NOW or SIGN UP NOW on your website, because if you’ve given them enough reason to act, your visitors will want to own your product, service, or newsletter subscription right away. Once you’ve made them want it, let them have every opportunity to have it!
Don’t be afraid to expose yourself to the dangers of taking an order!
Once your visitor has taken a positive action in response to your offer, make sure the next page that opens is one that says THANK YOU! This is the same page that can determine if your new customer becomes a ‘returning customer’ with repeat orders.
You can go a long way in making sure they come back with a great “thank you” page and maybe a small unexpected gift as a positive token of your appreciation. A surprise gift is the best gift of all, and it’s one they’ll remember. Your customer buys an e-book or software program from you, and on your thank you page you provide a link to an additional free download.
The first thing this customer is going to do is tell all their friends about your website… and that action is viral marketing. Plus, the unexpected gift is one of the best ways to get active with viral marketing, especially if you tell them they can pass along a copy to their friends!
© Copyright 2007. Brian Hunt. All rights reserved.