One of the greatest things about having a Web site for your business is that it lets people get answers to dumb (but important) questions. It’s a win-win: They don’t have to look dumb in front of anyone, and you don’t have to answer the same questions over and over.
Before we dive into the nuances of online community and social media, lets take a step back and ask: Is your business’s Web site answering the questions that your customers, and more importantly, your potential customers, are asking? (For now, we’re going to skip e-commerce and the actual buying and selling of things from your site.)
Since honest self-criticism can be hard to come by, it’s helpful to look outward: When you’re on somebody else’s business Web site, what are you looking for? And are you getting it?
Are They Making It Hard for People to Get In?
It being 2008, I’m especially distressed when I see a business that still insists on using an animated Flash intro. It’s like parking a marching band directly in front of your front door — you’re putting barriers between you and your customer, and getting in the way of the information they’re looking for. (If you absolutely must have a Flash intro, have a prominent “skip intro” button.)
Is It Easy for Me to See, Send and Share Content?
For me, even worse than a site with a Flash intro, is a site built entirely in Flash, or any other technology that makes it hard (if not downright impossible) for me to:
* Copy-and-paste text (say, to drop into an e-mail)
* Link directly to a specific page on the site (so I can IM a link, or bookmark a specific page to come back to later)
* Use the browser to search for content within the page
While these days, search engines are doing more to index Flash content, and folks always have justifications for using Flash, if I can’t do those three things, my happiness with the site is going to go way down. (To say nothing of accessibility, folks with less capable browsers, and loading times. We all hate waiting.)
Are They Answering the Questions I Came to Ask?
Here’s the heart of the matter: The dumb questions everyone wants to know, the very basic information you’d see in a traditional Yellow Pages ad:
* What do you actually, you know, do? Are there specific brands you carry or services your provide?
* What are your business hours? When do you open and close? (Don’t forget holidays hours.)
* Where are you located, and how do I get there? (How about driving directions, parking, and public transportation?)
* What’s your phone number? How else can I get in touch with you if I have other questions?
And because this isn’t a Yellow Pages ad, but rather a Web site you control (with all the space you need), you can also answer:
* Is there anything unusual going on I need to know about? (For example, my gym had a fire a while ago — they used their Web site to keep people updated on repairs. Or maybe you’ve got specials people can take advantage of.)
* What else do I need to know? (Are there any requirements, restrictions, or special features: dress code, cash only, pet friendly, languages spoken, etc.)
* What resources do you have that will make me a better customer?
All this is the blocking and tackling for a small business web site, telling customers the “who, what, where, when, and how” of things.
As merely an average consumer, I’ve no doubt missed some things — please let me know what has and hasn’t worked for your business Web site.
Next, the part where social media and community tools come in, is giving people a “why”: Why they should do business with you.
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