Welcome to Your New Storefront: Why Website Messaging Matters
Consumer behavior has completely shifted in the last few months, and it will never be the same again.
The way people approach shopping for products and services has been forever altered by Covid-19.
Even now after stay-at-home orders have ended and reopening has begun, customers will interact with brands and businesses differently than they have in the past.
Like most people during state mandated closures, I didn't step foot in an actual store for months. And to be honest, I can’t really say I missed it. InstaCart just delivered three weeks worth of groceries right to my doorstep within two hours of ordering. New curbside pickup and free delivery at some of my favorite restaurants and retail stores make shopping fast and convenient. Zoom meetings for webinars and with clients have cut overhead and travel costs dramatically.
Bottom line: The way people think about and shop for products and services has changed. Your website is your new storefront.
Perhaps your business has opened up again (with modifications certainly). But chances are you’re probably reading this from the confines of your home office (aka living room/kitchen table/kid’s playroom/guest room/garage). How are you shopping these days? How are you finding information? How much has your screen time increased over the past few months? Exactly the point.
You’re online looking at information, making decisions about how and where you spend your money. Watching. Scrolling. Reading. What businesses are open? How have they pivoted? What solutions can they offer you? Do they understand your pain and do they know how to make it go away? Your customers are doing the exact same thing.
Your homepage is the first impression--where your customers and potential customers will go to find out what it is you have to offer.
Strong writing is invaluable.
Brevity is key.
Messaging is everything.
Your customers are online now more than ever.
Keep in mind: People don’t care about what you do. They care about what you can do for them.
So if your business only talks about the product, service or yourself, chances are people are going to lose interest in doing business with you. Fast.
Here are 5 Non-Negotiables Your Website’s Homepage Must Have:
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The Header: What do you offer and how will it make your customer’s life better?
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The Stakes: What is at stake if customers don’t buy your product and how is it making them feel?
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Value Propositions: What successes or benefits will your customer experience when they buy your product or service?
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A Plan: What is the simple path your customer needs to take to do business with you?
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A Strong Call-To-Action: How does your customer get your product or service--what do you want the customer to do?
Website messaging and content often take a back seat to other business priorities. If it’s got a domain name and is “working," websites often sit on the back burner, neglected and forgotten. If it’s not broken, why fix it, right? Wrong. More often than not, a website is broken and could use some serious fixing.