CRM - December 2008 - (Page 33)

“Heavenly Virtue #2, on page 34; SiteTuners Gluttony 3 found that adding more third-party sources increased conversions.) Rosenblatt warns against using what he calls “negative-assurance language.” While you may be good-intentioned in telling a customer “We will not sell your identity,” or “We will not send spam,” the assurance itself triggers concerns that may cause her to second-guess her decision. “Positive-assurance language,” on the other Providing customers with too much information that may confuse them or waste their time. hand (e.g., “Your privacy is protected”), tends to restore good faith and increase conversions. vs Web to Mobile | The rampant popularity of Apple’s iPhone, with its full-browser capabilities, has unfortunately led marketers to neglect the importance of mobile-friendly Web sites. Roughly 36 million people are mobile Internet Abstinence Cut to the chase and give them a direct call to action. users, a number expected to reach 64.8 million by 2011, according to a 2007 study by eMarketer. So success means more than merely shrinking your site to fit a smaller screen. “When someone is browsing on their phone, they’re telling you that they’re mobile,” Rosenblatt says. In other words, they’re probably not by a computer. SOURCE: SITETUNERS; WWW.POWEROPT.COM That’s why it’s critical that mobile sites make accessing information fast and straightforward. Avoid, for example, wasting screen space on transaction, the worst thing you can do is overload people with clutter and choices. “Having too many choices to click on, too much text to digest, paralyzes [the visitor],” he says. “People have such a short attention span on the Web that they’re just a click away from your competitor’s site.” In short, give them a psychological breather. Provide one thing—one product, one article—for them to focus on. If there’s one rule your Web site must live by it’s less is more. For example, Power Options, a provider of online stock-option trading tools, saw a 75 percent increase in post-trial conversions and earned $200,000 in annual profits simply by moving its free-trial form front and center, and cleaning up the clutter. On the other extreme, look at Gmail, Google’s free email service. Users may love Gmail for its seemingly infinite storage space, but Google has its own motives. The amount of targeting power contained within each message can make a marketer’s mouth water: “Knowing what our customers email about enables us to show them what they want.” But not every business needs to capture www.destinationCRM.com the same level of detailed information. “Every time you require the visitor to give you something more, to fill out more information, that’s one more opportunity for them to abandon you,” Rosenblatt says. Phone numbers, for instance, often don’t follow the categories of work, mobile, or personal anymore. Instead, give visitors the simple option of providing a primary or secondary number. While visitors may be interrupted or distracted by external stimulus out of your control, it’s best if you, too, avoid providing potential distractions. This is especially important at the point of purchase. After all, the last thing a customer wants to see just as they’re checking out is an offer anywhere on the page for an entirely different product. In general, do not display links that will lead customers away from completing a desired objective. (See Figure 1.) Large retailers like Macy’s take this advice a step further to display a pop-up box that acknowledges that a product has been added to the cart. Customers can decide whether they want to checkout or resume their previous activity. (Figure 2.) “Retailers today who still require a links that require a longer engagement process, such as signing up for a rewards program. Based on customer-survey responses, for example, Amtrak realized it needed a mobile component, which launched this past May. Onthe-go customers want to quickly check their train status, book or cancel a reservation, or even just check the weather. Results, Sebrel says, have been well worth the effort. He reports that for every dollar spent on maintaining the mobile site, Amtrak sees $25 in returns. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. | Any good online marketer will tell you that he’s tracking his site at least daily, if not hourly. Deep cleaning and basic decluttering of your Web site can have lasting improvements, yet even in this game nothing stays top-notch forever. Depending on your business model, and the products and services you provide, testing should always be performed to validate whatever decision you make. “There should never be a moment you’re not testing something,” Rosenblatt says. Perhaps the worst thing you can do is be too afraid to make your site work for you. “You’re not going to break it,” Rodriguez says. It’s a never-ending challenge, but the single hardest part is diving in. http://WWW.POWEROPT.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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