OK, imagine for a minute that you’re the head of marketing for Blentec, a company that sells home and commercial blenders.  I know, it doesn’t exactly sound like the most exciting marketing job in the world.  I mean how many exciting things can you say to turn heads?… our blender is more reliable… our blender is more powerful… our blender is blue…our blender comes with free smoothie recipes… our blender blah, blah, blah – I’m nodding off just thinking about it.

Oh… and did I mention when you took this job, you’ll be marketing a blender that retails for between $400 and $800!  A price 10 to 20 times what a blender costs on the shelf at your local WalMart.  OUCH!

At this point, I have to let Blentec’s marketing brilliance speak for itself.  Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/user/blendtec?blend=1&ob=4

So much for a boring pitch about a boring blender – this is something I gotta share!  And I’m not alone.  In fact, did you notice that almost 200,000 people have subscribed to Blentec’s YouTube channel… and their channel has been viewed almost 4 million times!

Does it make you want to drop $400-$800 for a blender?  Maybe or maybe not, but I can guarantee the following:

• You’re impressed that a Blentec blender can actually blend this stuff!
• You’re likely to remember the Blentec brand the next time you think about buying a blender.
• You’re likely to pass the “Will it Blend” videos on to a friend.

All three are huge wins from a marketing perspective.

With their pitch being seen almost 4 million times… you know some percentage of folks actually pulled out their credit cards!

Frozen margarita anyone?

If you want your site to convert, it all starts with your homepage (or initial landing page).

Bottom line, you’ve got only about seven seconds to hook your visitor. Unfortunately, websites abound that just don’t get it.  To illustrate the point, it’s helpful to take a look at a couple real-life examples.  If you were a visitor, how would you react to these two sites? 

Ok… I spent my seven seconds, and I still have absolutely no clue what these folks are all about.

This site is more typical of the masses.  It looks professional, but I’d bet no more effective at converting visitors into leads than the previous site.

Upon my seven second review, here’s what I know about this company:

• They provide professional services
• They enhance the link between business and operations

That’s really about it.  Sounds good, but what in the world do they do? And how can they help me?  It seems there are a host of other things on the site such as surveys, webinars, and news stories, but few folks will spend more time digging into these resources without a clear and compelling motivation.

OK – So what’s the key to making the most of your visitor’s first seven seconds?

1)     Your homepage copy and visual elements should stay narrowly linked to your unique selling proposition. 

2)     Your homepage should display a prominent, attention getting headline, then build on that main point with a concise summary of your offering.  Limit your headline to 10 words.  Limit your offering statement to 40 words.

3)     Your homepage copy should be customer focused, NOT you focused. You must clearly answer “what’s in it for them” within your headline and/or offering statement.

4)     Your visual elements should clearly support and build interest in your copy.  It should not distract from your copy. 

So does your site pass the test?

Take some time now to take an objective look at your homepage – but not the way you typically look at your homepage.  I want you to see it through the eyes of your prospects.  I want you to literally launch the page and spend a max of seven seconds processing the content (images, text, etc.) found there. - seriously… get out your watch and spend no more than 7 seconds.

Then, close the window and think about the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following three statements (again, answer as if you are a prospect):

How’d you do?  If you answered anything less than “Strongly Agree” on any of these questions, you’ve got room to improve. (and don’t worry… we all have work to do!) 

Work hard to tighten/streamline the copy on your homepage, ensuring your messaging is tightly linked to your organization’s single biggest competitive advantage (i.e., your unique selling proposition).  Also, ensure that any graphics support this core message, rather than distract from it.

If you’ve got an example of high converting homepage, send it over to info@business-shorts.com.  I’d like to feature some of these best practice examples in a future post.

Keep marketing!