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05.28.03
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By Bob
McElwain
Visitors to your site are not looking to make a new friend. They don't want to
chat. And they don't give a darn what you think about anything, least of all your
product. They only want to know:
- What's in it for me?
- Why should I believe you?
- Why should I buy from you?
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They will answer the first two questions to their satisfaction within seconds.
Only if they like these answers will they even consider the third. And at least
a partial answer to it must come easily, or they'll never see your sales pitch.
Provided your page downloads quickly, visitors will stick around until it does.
But as it starts to load to the screen, the first fold (screen) must fill rapidly.
It must immediately provide information that compels the answers you want your
visitor to decide upon. (If there are any graphics on the page, be sure dimensions
are included in the HTML so text will quickly load up top.) |
In the first fold, answers to the above questions must flow from ...
- Benefits, benefits, and more benefits
- Demonstrated professionalism and expertise
- Clear statement of the USP (Universal Selling Proposition)
More About Benefits
They must be presented with words. While not easy to define, they are the only
tool available to trigger the answer you want to the question, "What's in it for
me?" This part of the message must be crafted as carefully as an ad central to
a major advertising campaign.
On a single product site, the home page headline shouts the major benefit of the
product. As with a good sales letter, each word draws the visitor more deeply
into the site. All is benefits. And all points to the order form and a sale.
Most sites offer a variety of products and/or services, which means the simplicity
in a single product site can only be approximated. The home page is the entrance
to corridors leading to the sale of different products. (Or to great information,
free stuff, etc.)
This requires even more judicious use of the top fold. The benefits presented
must be specific to products, rather than to features of a single product. In
the first fold, introduce those products most likely to be of interest to an unknown
visitor. A possible alternative is to work with the products you most want to
sell.
 Professionalism
And Expertise
Demonstrate these as the first step in answering the question, "Why should I believe
you?" The way in which benefits are presented goes a long way toward achieving
this goal. Given a sharp, professional presentation, your skeptical visitor is
likely to say, "So far, so good." And to withhold final judgement, particularly
as to trustworthiness.
In this regard, the appearance of the site is fundamental. Again looking at the
first fold, all must support well stated benefits. Even enhance them. A garish
or cluttered page destroys any credibility that might flow from the content. Likewise
for any graphic that does not enhance the appearance of the site *and* the message.
About Your USP
When a visitor answers the question, "Why should I buy from you?" with, "Okay,
you'll do," he or she is ready to buy. And the option to do so must be handy.
Throughout, however, the content must continue to provide solid reasons for buying,
for you don't know when the decision may be made. It is not likely to happen in
the first fold. The initial response, though, needs to be at least, "Okay, I'll
tag along a ways." A good USP is sufficient to bring this response.
The USP may be incorporated in a logo, offered in a colored cell within a table,
or maybe as the last line on the screen at the bottom of the first fold. Where
it is positioned is not important. But the visitor must see it and easily grasp
its meaning in the first or second scan of the first fold.
But What
About The Rest Of The Site?
 Pieces
of cake. Really. Some may argue the most difficult task in online marketing is
generating targeted traffic. I don't agree. While it takes a good deal of time,
effort and often dollars, it is largely a 1-2-3 sort of process. Do this, that,
and then that. Others have clearly defined the steps that need to be taken, and
the order in which to take them.
For me, the greatest challenge in marketing online is building the first fold
on the home page. If your visitor scrolls down or clicks off into the site, you
have a potential customer. In fact you have one who is likely to grant you a little
slack. Thus perfection is not demanded throughout the site. Top quality is sufficient.
But the first fold must be absolutely perfect.
Think of a newspaper. What part of it is assembled with the greatest care? The
top fold of the first page. It's what shows in vending machines and on newsstands.
How many millions have bought a newspaper because a single headline grabbed hard?
Many, that's certain. Is the first fold on your website less important?
I have a strong hunch I can not demonstrate. Of those who click off a site never
to return, ninety-some percent do so without leaving the first fold. Get it right
and those who arrive with, "What's in it for me?" will say, "This might do." It's
a giant step toward a sale.
About the Author:
Bob McElwain, author of "Your Path To Success." How to build ANY business you
want, just the way you want it, with only pocket money. http://sitetipsandtricks.com
Get ANSWERS. Subscribe to "STAT News" now! mailto:join-stat@lyris.dundee.net
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