Studiothink – How to turn web visitors to customers

Date: February 19, 2015

Name: Studiothink – How to turn web visitors to customers

Presenter: Rick Sloboda

Entrepreneurs need to understand that a majority of customers are from World Wide Web, and it is critical to understand the method to reach the target audience from the web. Studiothink invites Rick Sloboda, the Senior Web Copywriter and Content Strategist from Webcopyplus, to teach entrepreneurs the key concepts of converting web visitors to customers. Rick Sloboda focuses on helping business owners to promote their website contents, and he involves in committee advisor in many organizations. This presentation will benefit entrepreneurs to boost their online sales.

Rick Sloboda wants all entrepreneurs to identify their purposes, goals, and objectives. Entrepreneurs need to figure out their product leads and how they can use website to create awareness. All goals and objectives must associate with their desired audience’s needs and wants. In addition, entrepreneurs need to define their call to action. This will help entrepreneurs to lead their desired audience to the right location.

Sloboda believes building visitor-centric information architecture is significant for all entrepreneurs. In other words, entrepreneurs need to define what their visitors are looking for. A Bad example of information architecture is when visitors are lost on from the content and need to search where they want to see. Many entrepreneurs use organizational chart to categorize their website headings, but this will confuse visitors to determine where they want to go. Sloboda believes a simple two buttons, such as “buy a business” or “sell a business” can simplify audience’s search.

“People do not care about your business. They only care what the business bring to them”

Visitor-centric web content

The concept of website content is “writing to convert”. The content must be about the visitors.

Sloboda suggests all web content to be written in second person narrative. It is important to understand it is not what entrepreneurs want to say, yet it is what the audience wants to hear. Moreover, entrepreneurs need to be more objective and communicate at the lower denominator.

It will be beneficial if entrepreneurs can write in audience’s language. This will reduce the downtime, inconvenience and costs when entrepreneurs use the right language and the right word choices.

Sloboda believes the “features tell and benefits sell”. Benefits focus on growth, profitability, work/life balance, and succession. The strategy can be altering by depending on audience. Entrepreneurs need to identify the audience segment and find the trigger point.

It is important to be different. Sloboda emphasizes entrepreneurs should identify their strength and leverage on the audience. Entrepreneurs will know if they are on the right track when they cannot fit their web content onto their competitors’ website template. Sloboda provides many factors.

Third party endorsements

Artificial enthusiasm comes across as spam and it will damage entrepreneurs’ trust. Sloboda believes third-party endorsement can be the best way to create credibility. Testimonials are weapons of influence; however, it will not be effective if audience will not able to read them. Sloboda suggests entrepreneurs to crunch down the long testimonials and distribute them out around the website.

Grammar and punctuation should be correct. Entrepreneurs should hire editor to avoid typical errors, including the incorrect use of language. Keep it short and simple is the key. Web page should use the relevant headlines, subheads, bullet points, short paragraphs, and descriptive links. If contents are long, Sloboda recommends people to use the drill down method.

Entrepreneurs need to ask for sales. However, they need to be direct and respectful. SEO will need 120 words minimum, so the right and precise content is very important.

“Connect, engage, and convert”

“Content comes first; design comes next; design should support the content”