CRM - December 2008 - (Page 32)

WEB SITES: BEST AND WORST 7 Deadly Sins/7 Heavenly Virtues Envy Just because it worked for someone else, doesn’t mean it will work for you. Test! vs Kindness The Internet is an interconnected platform. Leverage the power of third parties to add validity to your own site. This will also help draw attention and increase traffic. 2 opinion. Basing a discussion on the results of Web analytics and the words of your customer, you’ll find you have enough ammunition to get yourself heard. Rosenblatt recalls one client, for example, that had a headshot of its chief executive officer on the homepage—and learned via testing that the design led to fewer conversions. Unless the CEO is clearly an influential figure in the industry, Rosenblatt has found that visitors simply don’t care. That can make for awkward conversations with the powersthat-be, but you can let the numbers do the talking. “It’s a lot easier to get things done when you bring the customer element into it,” he says, adding that there’s also an added benefit: “You’ll spare yourself from what are fairly long, agonizing meetings internally.” By virtue of their job description, marketers have always tried to maintain control of the company and the brand. Nowadays, marketers are expected to guide and educate, putting everything on the table and letting the customer decide for herself.“Even the term ‘CRM’ implies that you have control over it,” Ash says. “It has to be [a] much more messy democracy. There’s a horde of barbarians knocking at your castle gates and our suggestion is to let them in. That sounds bizarre, but the customer is always right.” Rosenblatt promises that it’s not quite the dramatic surrender it seems to be. “Have your customer in the process,” he says, “Integrate their opinion and actions…. Until you have that information, it’s hard to validate your strategic framework.” (For more on the trend toward transparency, see this month’s cover story on page 24.) When it comes to Web design, you can do it on your own, hire an expert, or listen to your audience. Ash argues that doing it yourself is probably the worst option.“[It’s] not because you’re dumber than anyone else,” he says, “but because SOURCE: SITETUNERS you’re too close to it.” Site redesigns take place on average every 12 to 24 months, but most of the time, the hermit is just grabbing a new shell rather than attacking the problems that prevent the visitor from having a better experience. LESS IS MORE “Every page should have a goal,” Rosenblatt says. “If it doesn’t…you need to question whether it should even be there.” Many companies, however, find it hard to limit a single page to just a single goal. Unfortunately, marketers tend to treat a Web page like a corporate brochure, overwhelming consumers with too much information on any given page. There needs to be a call to action and it needs to be obvious. Whether it’s downloading a white paper, signing up for email notifications, or making a product purchase, the call to action has to be prominent. Moreover, Ash says that whether you’re providing content or encouraging a FIGURE 2: Macys.com keeps the checkout process simple and focused, avoiding abandoned sales. SOURCE: WWW.MACYS.COM FIGURE 1: By removing the two links (circled), Interwoven’s client achieved an increase in conversions. SOURCE: INTERWOVEN 32 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2008 www.destinationCRM.com http://www.Macys.com http://WWW.MACYS.COM http://www.destinationCRM.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CRM - December 2008

CRM - December 2008 Contents Front Office Feedback Reality Check Customer Centricity The Tipping Point The Rave Is Over CRM on Twitter Financial Frenzy Will Customer Experience Survive in a ‘Soft’ Economy? Holiday Humbug Empowered Consumers Are Ready to Flip the Switch Required Reading Transparency Spiff Up Your Site! They Aim to Please Mixing In a Little Sugar Sweetens the Deal A Newsletter Employs New Tactics A Site Stops Feeling Overtaxed Make ’Em Laugh—Personally Secret of My Success Re:Tooling Scouting Report Pint of View

CRM - December 2008

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