Marketing Websites
The Followup

We spend a lot of time and attention attracting visitors to our websites. A recent article by The Customer Respect Group reveals that many of us are losing the visitor once they get to our website. Forrester Research has stated that 70% of online customers will drop brand loyalty and go to a competitor, if they do not receive a timely response from a company.

Auto Responder technology has been implemented in approximately 35% of corporate websites. This means that when a website visitor makes an inquiry, the server immediately sends the visitor an email stating that their email has been received and will be answered soon. Most internet users feel that a one day response time is acceptable. If your response takes longer, you are losing your clients to your competitors. The Customer Respect Group found that only 36% of corporate emails were answered within a day.

When a potential customer comes to your website, they should be rewarded with ease of navigation. Finding your product needs to be simple. Key information, such as contact information and your privacy policy, should be linked from the front page.

"When asked to prioritize the reason why they chose to abandon a website, one in every six respondents indicated that they were not happy with the company's privacy policy." (The Customer Respect Group)

Hewlett Packard is a great example of an easy to find and simply stated policy. You will find a detailed privacy policy linked from their front page. Part of it states (without an excess of legal terminology) that: HP will not sell, rent or lease your personal information to others. HP will not share your personal information with third parties except in responding to your requests for products or services. Your permission will be requested when you submit your information. HP shares customer information across HP-owned business entities and companies working on our behalf, but only as described above in, "How we use your information."

If you collect information about your visitors, it is also important to offer an "opt-out" choice. Many visitors will choose to opt-out of future marketing campaigns. Since permission based marketing is the most successful way to market online, offering this choice shows your visitors that your respect their privacy.

The internet is becoming a primary communication vehicle and the main venue for product research. How you treat your online visitors and the attitude you convey will determine the value you are able to extract from your online marketing efforts.