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Get startedI am a marketer and I am constantly evaluating everything I look at, it is kind of automatic. What I see is a lot of businesses failing to make a connection with the reader because they have forgotten how important it is to educate and create trust.
I know that not all businesses have the money to hire someone to create content for their pages, though I highly recommend it. If you cannot afford someone or just don’t want to pay someone, there are a few things you can do to make the content on your company’s pages better.
When people are choosing a product or service they are looking for answers to questions. You need to determine what questions need to be answered for people to choose to invest in your company and then create content based on your Q&A.
The best way to get the Q&A data is to sit down with your sales people and your managers and break down the common questions people ask. What do they need to hear to be convinced to buy each individual product or invest in each individual service? This information needs to be in your content.
Your website is your online salesperson and this salesperson needs to be spectacular!
The whole purpose of your website is to convince people to buy what it is that you offer, right? So, the content on each page needs to be focused on sales, not descriptions only.
As you are convincing people to invest in your product or service you also want to integrate information to help convince readers to trust you and to invest now.
You need to give a brief summary, right away, on what each service/product is and what it does for the consumer. This doesn’t have to be too large, but it needs to educate. You have to assume that all readers are completely clueless about what it is you do and offer.
Educating the potential customer is a huge part of the trust process!
You need to create a need! Why does the reader need this product or service? How can it help them and what are the downsides of not investing in it?
Downsides are much easier for service related businesses to discuss, but please don’t create content that resembles doom. Just be honest and educate. You could even have a small section with a few bullet points, “The Downsides of Not Investing in “X”.
To get people to spend their money you have to create a need and create trust.
Make them trust you! If your company offers a superior product or service you need to explain why. Why are you the best? What do you have to offer that others do not? What is so wonderful about your employees and your company that there can be no other considerations? Please don’t brag, give people the facts they need to know to pull out their wallet.
You need to let the reader know why you are the best choice without writing too much. Careful integration is key.
Create a sense of urgency because, well, you want to make money, right? What are the dangers to the reader, their business or their family if they don’t invest in a service? Terror doesn’t sell, but reality does.
Be honest and educate them on what they need to know and, again, the downsides of not investing.
Typically service-related businesses do better if they can sell more than one thing at a time.
Example, a business offers dryer repair (something many need ‘now’), but as someone is looking at the page about repair they might also see something about vent cleaning being critical for the safety of their home and family. So they click and learn how not having your vents cleaned can cause a fire!
Why not have your technician do this when they come out for repair? It is more affordable to have two things at once, typically. Explain that!
You have to try to sell more than one thing at a time. A customer may only pay for one service or product right now, but they may/should also aware there are other services/products your company offers. Perhaps they need to invest a little money first and see if they can trust you before they invest more.
Always have links to related products and services!
Again, your website is your online salesperson and this salesperson needs to be spectacular! Content, video and images are the only way to sell online without speaking to someone directly. Make sure everything you offer is thought out well, educates and creates trust.
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