Research Shows Websites Influence 97% of Clients’ Purchasing Decisions
Only 3% of the 200 buyers surveyed – from companies of all sizes – say a provider’s website has no influence whatsoever over their purchase decision.
In a recent survey by RainToday.com looking at 200 buyers responsible for technical services purchasing. In 2010 you should really take another look at your website and decide if it shows your business in the right light. But even more important for professional services firms, so if you are in the business of selling to other businesses you should take notice of this important buying factor.
In fact if you combine the two highest factors in the survey a) A great deal of Influence (20%) and b) Some Influence (54%) the total is 74%. Definitely something you should be thinking about.
So if you are considering a redesign in 2010 what should you focus on?
- Establish a professional voice
Beyond just spelling and grammar you should also look at the tone you are using in your marketing materials. Is your website going to have that corporate feel or are you going to get more personal in your choice of words? For example if you are a local vendor and cater to children you are probably going to talk about relevant community involvement. However if you are an electrician you can still show your personal side and tell others how your integrity and quality of work is worth taking notice. - Provide Consistency
Most of your marketing including your website should have a consistent look and feel. So if someone reads your newsletter or your brochure it should be consistent. The same thing applies to your website, the colors and layout should feel like it was published by your company. And also goes a long way to establish your company’s brand. In the early days of the internet content was king and layout and presentation was not really that important. However internet users expecations have changed and how the content looks goes along way to proving credibility by using consistency.
- Provide a source of knowledge
In terms of a professional services your customer/client is hiring you because they see you as an expert in your field. And want information or advice from someone that is knowledgeable. So why not add some useful tips and guides to your website. For example something that is gaining in great popularity is starting a blog for a small business to publish help articles, or news that your customers would be interested in. White papers used to be the big thing for business to business sales, however ebooks (think PDF’s) are now becoming a more useful tool. Most of you probably already have documents available that you could save as a PDF and put on your website today.
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