TURN CLICK-THRUS INTO SALES WITH STREAMING MEDIA
by Ronni Rhodes

I read a very troubling statistic the other day. It said that the closing ratio for online selling was only 1.75%!* When you combine that fact with the knowledge that 67% of shopping carts are abandoned, we have a very bleak picture of the world of e-tailing. How can we improve upon these statistics and increase our sales?

The folks who run Future Now (http://www.futurenowinc.com), a consulting firm which specializes in helping web retailers sell, say that marketing, while absolutely essential to the success of a website, is not enough. Marketing only brings the customer to the point where they might buy. Then, you have to SELL!

I'm not going to rehash everything that you know about building a viable and customer oriented website. (You can find that information in any credible online newsletter.) I am going to tell you how to use streaming media to enhance your visitor's website experience and help him/her to make that crucial buying decision. Remember, people make purchasing decisions based on emotion even after they've done rational research!

Let's explore some possibilities.

Testimonials: People really do listen to other people's opinions and relate to their experiences! Instead of printing customer testimonials, why not ask people to send them to you via audiotape or on a video? If people are hesitant about creating their testimonial, go see some of your local customers in person armed with your own recording equipment. After making them feel comfortable, ask them to tell you why they like your product and how it helped them. Encourage them to speak in their own words. They'll be flattered that you asked, and their satisfactory experience with your product will be a powerful incentive for others.

FAQ's: Almost all of us have a "Frequently Asked Questions" page on our websites. Does anybody read them? Take a look at some of the questions that you receive from potential customers. (I'm willing to bet that over half of them are probably answered on your FAQ page.) Have your FAQ page done with audio! Ask a friend or employee to act as the customer by asking the questions. Have the other person answer the questions and refer your visitor to the pertinent page on the site that goes into the answer in depth. Hearing these questions and answers, instead of just reading them, gives your customer a sense of empowerment and adds to the trust that you're trying to create.

Show As Well as Tell: Instead of just talking about the features and benefits, let's see someone ACTUALLY USING THE PRODUCT! Selling cooking knives? Let's have someone slicing a tomato or chopping an onion. Selling giftware? Let's see someone arranging flowers in that beautiful cut glass vase. Selling an electric drill? Let's see someone using that drill to perform a task. Selling a cookbook? Let's look at someone preparing an actual recipe. Selling home decorating equipment? Let's watch someone painting a wall or putting up wallpaper using that equipment. Use your imagination!

Ask yourself, "why are those late-night infomercials so entertaining and successful?"

Instructions: So many printed instruction sheets and manuals are difficult to read and often have confusing pictures. Use video to simplify the assembly process and address common user errors. Have a real customer help you if possible. Talk about some of the mistakes people have made during assembly and how to avoid them. This is also your chance to discuss any issues that are critical to product performance and safety. Keep building customer trust in you, your company, and your product.

Guarantees: Make your product warranty and your company's promise of satisfaction personal. Use video to deliver this powerful message. Share your name and E-mail address with them. Give them your company's "Personal Satisfaction Hotline" number. Tell them how to reach you via snail mail. Make people confident that they are doing business with a company that cares about its product and how it performs.

Streaming Media is a natural way to motivate purchasing. It can be integrated into your website as a means to help people get over that "hump" when they haven't been able to see or touch a product. Use it to calm customers' nerves, build their trust in your company, and to keep their excitement about your product alive.

A "born" salesman knows how to listen, observe, and focus in on a potential customer's desires. In the absence of that, businesses on the Web must use the technological tools available to replicate that human experience. Streaming Media is one of those tools. By using it creatively, with the customers' needs and wants as your primary focus, you'll see those click-thrus turn into sales.

*"First Annual Survey on E-Commerce Service," June 1999, Net Effect Systems, N. Hollywood, Calif.

Ronni Rhodes is the owner of WBC Imaging, an Internet company that specializes in web site enhancement utilizing streaming media technology. With her husband, Don, a broadcast engineer, they work with companies to incorporate streaming as part of successful and meaningful sales and marketing programs.

Please direct all questions and comments to:
Ronni@wbcimaging.com
520-742-5780
www.wbcimaging.com

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