Underground Web Designs Blog

Does your website sell people what they need, or what they want?

Take a look at your website, read the sales page… and think about what you are selling. Not what product or service you’re selling, but what idea you’re selling. Are you making people feel that your service is something they need, or are you making them feel that it’s something they want?

If you’re selling to a customer’s need, consider revising your copy to focus on wants. You see, the simple fact is that most of the stuff you sell, your customer doesn’t really need. You may think they need it, but do they really? In fact, everything but water, simple food, and basic shelter is things we want.

If you’re selling strategy is focused on convincing people that they NEED what you’re selling, you’re setting yourself up to fail. There are too many options, and people are getting too smart. I know I don’t really need the latest pair of brand name running shoes… but since all my friends have iPods, I really WANT an iPod. So I’ll go buy the iPod, even though it costs more.

So how do you do it? How do you sell your products to people’s wants?

• Ask them what they want, then create the product to satisfy those wants. It’s hard to guess every time, and with the internet you don’t have to. Just ask your customers what they want and build it into your product.
• Exceed expectations. Apple is great at this. When Apple released the iPhone, they capitalized on a want people had: a want for stylish cell phones. Then they exceeded expectations by providing a bigger screen, touchscreen capabilities, music, very good internet access, and much more.
• Sell your product emotionally. While it’s good to talk about the facts about your product, facts don’t sell things. Convincingly explain how your product will improve someone’s life, save them time, or bring them success — all things everybody wants already — and your products will sell.

It seems like every time you check the technical section of the news you see something about yet another “social networking” or “social bookmarking” service. As a business owner you may just shrug and move on, if you read the technical section of the news at all. Social media isn’t something you can just ignore though, especially if you want to get the most from your website.

Social media sites –sites that facilitate communication between peers– are among the largest websites for a reason: people like to talk to eachother and share their opinions. Now, your business may not be in the area of social networks, or even in the area of communication. That’s ok. No matter what your area of expertise is, social media is still an important concept for anyone who does business online (and if you have a website, you do business online).

How can you use the popularity of social media to boost your business and increase sales? Well, it’s both simple and difficult. The concepts are simple, but pulling them off can be easier said than done. The best way to leverage social media is to get people talking about your product or service. A good first step is to post fun, interesting, or educational videos on YouTube, and be sure to leave the comments open. Another good idea is to start a blog. Blogs are very easy to create and maintain, and best of all they provide a place for people interested in your topic to agree, disagree, and discuss what you write about.

There are some people that think that since social media is so powerful they should throw everything they have at it, in as many places as they can. Others will even offer their “services” to put your videos, articles, or links on hundreds of social media sites. Beware of such “spam” tactics. Remember that the power of social media is in people talking to each other and sharing things they like. If you post something on one popular site such as YouTube, and people like it, they will tell their friends to come check it out. If you put a video on 100 video sharing sites and nobody likes it, your reputation may well be tarnished.

If you remember that social media sites are the ultimate democracy then you will be able to make full use of them to grow your business and sell your products. If you forget even for a minute that anyone can (and will) make it known to the world if you mess up, you’ll soon find out that social media has a downside as well.