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Good monday!
In this review, we're taking a slightly diffeent angle. In another forum selling to women came up. Here's David's request;
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How about we take my website, http://www.dbresearchlc.com, my products. Let us focus on how to sell them to women, men also as a secondary concern of course
... You have Monday reviews. This will be the project for marketing to women... It will not be an easy one either, my products are alternative health with technology. Many people fear just the thought of them, especially women. One woman called me after one session on the Miracle Foot Massager saying she was scared to try it again because she felt the electricity stimulating her feet. Umm, that's what it was supposed to do. I explained it to her. She has not called back. I hope she is still using it.
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The very first thought that came to mind is in regard to the woman that called you because she got scared when she felt the electricity stimulating her feet. My initial reaction was "Why didn't she know to expect that in advance?"
It reminds me of a time that I was selling an herbal foot rub for a client. In the text, I said something to the effect that if you really want to see how effective it is, rub it on one foot first. It will start to tingle. Right after that, your other foot will get jealous because it's still aching, and the foot with the cream isn't. People would write in excitedly to say "I felt the tingling. This stuff works!"
So on to your site. The first thing to note is that I don't do "website" reviews per se. I don't focus on the specs of the design itself, I don't talk about meta tags and tags. That's what Peter does. : )
I focus on the overall methodology of presenting. Okay? Good. A few things, kind of in random order:
1) Reading the main page.
When visitors first arrive, they usually don't read word by word. They scroll and scan quickly to see if it's of interest to them. They view in "chunks." As I scrolled your main page, I wasn't sure what you really sold. I saw a close up of your head. And I saw feet in a tub, twice. I saw a pad that looks like a foot massager. But I really wasn't sure if these were separate products, part of a system or what. Remember, I'm still "scanning" and haven't read yet.
One thing that struck me as oddly funny. Often, when scanning a site, people scroll in screen lengths to see "what's there". Normal response is to glance at the photos first, and then read or scan the text. So, I scrolled down a screen. I noticed the photo of the feet in a tub of icky looking water. Then I started reading, and read 'The pain eraser EnerGels pad energizes the water I drink.'
The logical part of me "knows" that's not the water you drink... lol... but better division of content is maybe a good idea. Hang in here, though, because I'm not beating you up. Promise.
I then went poking around online to see if I could find an "elevator" description of an ion spa. I found this in the newsletter of a spa in Denver;
What is an Ion Spa?
The Ion Spa is a new facet of Dr. Elliott's practice. It is an ion generator that detoxifies the body more effectively than any herbal or fasting protocol with no stress to the client. The patient places his/her feet in the bio-energetic water to recieve the flow of ions, which draw out and neutralize body acid waste. Additionally, more cellular energy is produced during the treatment, which enhances the cells to work and detoxify at a higher rate. Clients report significant reduction in joint pain and inflammation. The cost is $40 per session. Be sure to check it out next time you are in the Center. One glance at a client utilizing the Ion Spa and you'll be intrigued enough to want to try it for yourself.
OH!! So that's what it is.
2) General Comments
Every webpage on the Internet has a "feel" to it. A personality, or an ambience. The feel must match what your target customers expect, or they will usually leave. With that in mind,
-- The first thing I'd do is remove the targeted traffic and classified ads links. Why? Cause I expect you to be a "health" guy, not an adman. At least at this site. I'd also remove your resume. Why? Because it's not relevant to this site. All it does is show people that you have years of experience - few of them in health products. That will lose you Brownie points.
-- Next thing I'd do is move your photo and your story to the about page. I know a lot of "gurus" say to put your story up front. I've found that most people are more interested in their own problems first, yours second. They don't care about yours until they know if you have the solution to theirs.
-- I'd start the main page with a photo of the product. The very first things you need to tell people are
1) what do you sell?
2) Who needs it and why?
3) What should they do next?
For example (based on the copy at the Denver Spa site)
"Ion generators draw out and neutralize body toxind and enhance detoxification.
They're great if you have joint pain and inflammation, weight problems, (etc - list others)Click any of the products shown below for more information.
Under that, put a photo of each product. Add a SMALL text teaser under each. (Do this in a horizontal table with text under photos) For example, under the foot spa, you could put "soak your health problems away"
Thus far, you'd have: a brief overview. Under that, photos with text teasers.
Under that, put the testimonials.
All the information about each specific product would go on a page specific to the product. On that page, you would
[a] say what the product is
[b] say how it works
[c] what happens when they use it.
At the bottom of the page would be two links.
--> click to buy
--> Question? Ask me.(link to contact form)
Women, in particular, don't have time to read page after page of long text. The honest to goodness fact is that most of us have more to do than we have hours to do it in. And it's not because we're less organized. lol. Quite the opposite.
Women are more organized today than we've ever been. We have to be. Most of us have jobs or businesses, and families, and households, and pets, and husbands, and housework.
It's not the Ward and June Cleaver world anymore. Most of us share the financial responsiblities of a household along with our partners. We also grocery shop and balance the household books and a myriad of other things.
Yes, there are still some women that don't - but it is the mass numbers of us that DO carry these responsibilities that are controlling over 80% of consumer purchasing. The more organized WE get, the less tolerant we are of sites (or stores) that make us waste time trying to figure out what's what.
In a website, you need to look at each page and say "what is the purpose of this page?"
-- The main page is to introduce me to your products and show me where to find out about each one.
-- Each product page is to tell me what the product does, and what will happen when I use it.
I don't want any surprises after I buy it. If it's going to make me sweat like a sailor for the next hour, tell me that so I don't use it right before I go to work. If it's going to make my feet tingle, tell me that so I don't wonder if I got a faulty one and end up dead of electric shock and have my kid find me that way. You know? Just tell me everything I need to know, but put it in the right place so I can find and re-find it easily because I'm not going to buy the first time I see it.
Organization is everything. My Mom always preached "A place for everything, and everything goes in it's place." Didn't most Moms? Ever noticed how women get nitty if you put something in the wrong place? No - the flour goes on the THIRD shelf, not the second one. I want to KNOW where it is when I look. Sure you do - guys get that way with their tools, or the stuff on the garage shelves. Same thing with a website.
Oh, and left justify the text. Use only two colors. Black for all text except headlines. Choose a consistent color for those. Multiple colors of text are confusing. Too much like a circus. Classy sites have classy color schemes. Wild colors are for "fun" sites and amateurs. It's just the way we immediately categorize things in our minds. I think both genders do that to some degree, but males are more forgiving about color choices. That's why so many women correct their husbands about which tie to wear. lol.
So there you go - some food for thought.
Go ahead and ask away if you have questions!
: )
Linda
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