Internet Marketing - Matt Bailey [88]
I love seeing companies get the content right on their websites. I don’t want your site to explode from the bulk of content but to explode in relevance and power. Too many companies rely on spineless, filler content in the place of real words that have actual meaning. Customers aren’t looking for filler; they are looking for explosions that will motivate and inspire them to action.
Tuesday: Create a Customer Experience
While browsing websites for gift ideas, I am constantly seeing the awesome potential of multimedia. Now that there are multiple social websites for almost every kind of media, the potential for customers to be exposed to your experience is limitless and really inexpensive. Text and static images have been in use for a long time, but savvy marketers are now employing audio, video, and customer reviews as well.
Audio
One of my favorite features in marketing items that require more than a visual image is the use of audio. My wife loves wind chimes, and I found some very interesting and different types of chimes. However, as most ecommerce sites go, there is usually a picture and a small description of the product. This is hardly enough to go on when looking for a gift that goes beyond a static visual image. The chimes I found were made of ceramic bells rather than metal or wood, so I was very interested in hearing them. This is one product where the lack of sound is a deal breaker—I can’t imagine that many people purchase wind chimes based solely on looks. I wanted to hear what they sound like before I place them permanently on my patio.
Similarly, when shopping for a performance exhaust system for a Corvette, for example, a car owner is going to be very interested in what the exhaust sounds like. Mid America Motorworks (www.mamotorworks.ccom) added an audio gallery of exhaust systems, allowing customers to browse by the sound of the system (Figure 8-6). This also allows for researching other systems that may not have been top of mind but have a great sound. For this audience, hearing the product is everything in making the final decision.
Figure 8-6: Mid America Motorworks’ exhaust system audio gallery
Video
Fireworks, are, as my father likes to remind me, the only product that literally burns your money. My friends and I love a 4th of July celebration, and we host large parties to celebrate this holiday. A few years ago, my shopping for fireworks took on a whole new level of education.
How do you shop for fireworks when all you see at the store are brightly colored boxes? Well, you go to a company’s website and see a video of what the box will produce.
One of the favorite displays of the night was a box called Guns of Navaronne, which we were able to preview on the Phantom Fireworks website, www.fireworks.com (Figure 8-7). Sound and video! All of that resulted in a very happy viewing audience. I also know that I will be getting the Strategic Air Defense display next year!
Figure 8-7: Fireworks.com video fireworks gallery
For selling a product that cannot be seen until after the purchase, these videos are critical. At the fireworks store, it was obvious which people were buying based on researching the website and which were simply wandering the store. It is a great exercise in consumer behavior to see people purchasing fireworks based on so many different factors such as price, name, and color of the package, yet very few buyers knew what exactly they were buying and what it would look like when they used it!
How much more can you create a customer experience by adding additional audio or video of your products, production process, or products results? In many cases, amateur video uploaded to YouTube has created a demand and an awareness of a product long before a company was able to produce the same results. Bloggers who review products have all written about amazing reactions by people who purchase the product after they have seen someone use it and can see for themselves the benefits of how to use it properly.
Customer Reviews