The Remote Control Effect

This past week I learned something about TV remote controls that really got me thinking.

My stepson is visiting us for a month and wanted more TV channels than basic cable, so we signed up for more channels.

Then, when watching TV together, I noticed that he was toggling back and forth between two channels with the remote.

"How did you do that?" I said. "I've had this TV and remote for seven years and I didn't know you could do that!"

I like to think I'm not a complete idiot, but he pointed out that on the remote there was a little button for toggling. Then he also showed how I could program four of my favorite channels and just press the color buttons at the top of the remote to go to them instantly. (I always wondered what those colored buttons were!)

That's when I had my insight (also called a "blinding flash of the obvious.")

There are so many things that we think we know, but we really don't have a clue. And often these things are right under our noses and we miss them completely.

Web Sites Delusions

This past weekend I attended The System Internet Seminar in Chicago to catch up on what was happening in Internet Marketing and to see what I was missing (it was a lot)!

I learned some very advanced strategies, but in this eZine, I wanted to point to some very basic web site marketing ideas that you are very likely missing (just like the buttons on a remote).

Did you know...

• That a headline on a web page can make all the difference between someone reading it or not (let alone responding)? Most web pages have generic headlines like: Home Page, Our Services and About Us. About as exciting as boiled sausage. In fact, with headlines like this you could be selling anything - even sausage! How about a compelling benefit in the headline that makes you want to know more?

• That the copy on your web page is unreadable to about 95% of your visitors? That's right, they don't read ANYthing on your page. Why? Because you haven't formatted your page for readability. You need to capture the attention of your visitors visually before they'll even get into the message. Keys include short paragraphs, indentation, bullet points and the first sentence bolded in each paragraph.

• That most web pages don't tell the visitor to do anything? That is, they read your page (if they do happen to get through it) and at the bottom there is nothing. It just ends. No call-to-action. No link to go to another page. Nothing. So people scratch their heads, scroll up to the navigation bar and try to guess what to do next, feeling more frustrated by the second. Tell them where to go and they'll keep exploring your site.

• That a vast majority of web sites are so poorly designed that most people click off in about ten seconds without even reading anything on the site. The bad news is that the average business owner with a web site has little understanding of good or bad design, so they do nothing to improve it - usually for years. Find a real designer, not your nephew.

• That the actual value proposition or core marketing message on your web site is at best, boring, at worst, fiendishly obscure. That is, if a visitor gets past the poor design, generic headlines and bland text formatting, they still don't understand (or care)what you are offering (and what's in it for them).

Do I exaggerate?

I don't think so. When I ask people in talks or workshops if they are happy with the results of their web sites, I usually have less than 5% who say they are.

But like the remote control that sat under my nose, without me knowing how it really worked, your site sits up on the web, not producing any real (let alone substantial results) for years while you blissfully go about your business, convinced that web marketing doesn't really work for your kind of business.

But there is hope...

During the System Seminar, several people came up to me and told me how their businesses had completely transformed (increased sales, more referrals, doubling their businesses, etc.) once they understood the secrets of a great web site, and took a little time to make the required changes.

Those who put some serious time into their web marketing efforts were making hundreds of thousands, and often millions of dollars, on the web. And these were the ones who were the most excited about knowing even more.

Many of them had first started with my Web Site ToolKit (which made me feel very happy and proud)! More details on the ToolKit here.

* The More Clients Bottom Line: You need to be aware of the disconcerting fact that your web site is not doing the job it was meant to do. Hardly anyone is visiting, reading, or responding to your web site. It's a shame, as it's one of the most important marketing vehicles you'll ever have.

* Is your web site failing to get you new clients consistently? What actions will you take? Please share on the More Clients Blog.

Comments

[Laura Roeder]

I have clients who have been successfully running their businesses for years without a professional site or without a website at all and they are always shocked by what a huge difference the website makes to their business. One big factor is that they are now really excited to show off their website, and this leads to them doing more marketing and being more confident in their self-promotion.

[Duncan Brodie]

Hi Robert

I had my site down professionally for the first time about 9 months ago.

Then I bought the web-site tool kit and recently commissioned a complete refresh of the site content in line with your tips and it should go live in the next few days.

I am looking forward to seeing the impact of this.

[Koh Samui Vacation Rentals]

long time reader, first time poster here. what got me to respond?

you state that your stepson led you on to this amazing revelation about the remote control yet you then go on to tell us to get a real web designers and not our nephews.

anyway, i understand and appreciate the message.