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Nurturing Relationships With Your Website Visitors How To Keep Web Customers Coming Back
had a really wild behold, there on the page was a
experience the other day. I chunk of information where I had
was on my bank's Internet several choices to actually deal
site, wildly trying to ascertain with a human being. One was to
whether an important money wire send an email, one was to engage
had been deposited into my in instant messaging, and the
account. It hadn't. I thought third was to click on a button to
perhaps it could be somewhere in speak with someone on the phone.
the system, so I wanted a warm I opted to click and my phone
body to either calm my fears, or immediately began ringing. Now
establish what my priority was this was service! I picked it up,
going to be on that day. and although a received a
recording, it was just a few
One of my biggest frustrations seconds later when a REAL person
with websites is trying to find got on the line. Unfortunately,
contact information when I need the competent and human
it, and of course, even for those representative on the other end
sites that have it, there are few determined that my wire was no
standards for where it might be where in the system, but at least
located. These are the instances now I had a game plan for what I
where I feel alienated, drifting needed to do that day as opposed
in an impersonal cyber world that to wallowing in ignorance.
for all I know may be populated
with nothing but cyborgs. Many This is called relationship, and
web sites have lost sales because it is the challenge for today's
they made themselves impossible Internet. How do you personalize
to deal with except through their an otherwise vast universe where
Internet shopping carts. by its very nature people are
relegated to alienation and
Anyway, back to the bank. Lo and anonymity?
easiest way to keep an ongoing
The first, though seemingly dialog with visitors.
obvious thing you need to do is
make it an objective for your 3. Make yourself accessible. Your
site - a priority objective. Once photo should also be on your
you do that, you can consider and site, as well as your contact
employ specific strategies such information, including email,
as: telephone, and address. Put this
contact information in an obvious
1. Identify and describe, as place - a page labeled "Contact
closely as you possibly can, your Us", for example. The best
target customer or visitor. And contact information is a physical
unless you are a Kodak or location - because brick and
Motorola, don't pretend to be all mortar gives people an important
things to all people. The link to reality.
Internet is about customization -
the days of the Industrial 4. Appoint an editorial staff.
Revolution where one size fits Advertise for and then appoint a
all due to manufacturing group of individuals with
economies of scale are gone! industry credibility to serve as
regular contributors to your web
2. Content that communicates. site content. Have a weekly,
Once you have figured out who rotating column. Encourage users
your target audience is and what to write in response to your
content would be valuable to columnists/editors. Ah, and one
them, fill your web site with very important thing - publish
lots of it. And make sure to keep their photos and if they agree,
your content dynamic - if a their email addresses. If they
document is out of date, your don't want to give out their
customer may be lost! This is the personal email, then give them
one on your server. personalized feedback at
intervals along the way.
5. How about a weekly puzzle? I
had great luck with a puzzle I 8. Build a message board or forum
used to run in a biweekly e-zine. to allow customers, visitors, and
Visitors loved it and kept coming other businesses to communicate
back for more. Craft the puzzle with one another. Make sure you
around your business or industry. also play an active role in these
For example, come up with a communications to further cement
9-letter word with just one of these relationships.
each letter that has something to
do with your industry, and then The key to successful search
make it into a sudoku. engine relationship marketing is
to keep a dialog going with your
6. Start up an advice column. site visitors. Give them valuable
Become the Dear Abby of your content, let them have access to
industry. Provide readers with you, and encourage them to
relevant, substantive advice and participate in your site. Not all
increase traffic while cementing of these suggestions will work
relationships. for every site - know your
customers and pick what works for
7. Offer online seminars and them. When you have succeeded in
training programs. Though these building a relationship, they
programs do not need to be will keep coming back to your
synchronous, consider chunking up oasis in the cyber desert.
the material so you can provide
About the Author:
Mary Anne Donovan is both a scholar and a practitioner. She is in her tenth year as a professor of technical writing and business communications while at the same time serves as Vice President of SEO Literacy Consultants, Inc. in Rochester, NY, and SEO consulting and education company. Read more at http://www.seolc.com
Read more articles by: Mary Anne Donovan
Article Source: www.iSnare.com
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