Visitors to your site are not looking to make a new friend.
They don't want to chat. And they don't give a darn what you
think about anything, least of all your product. They only want
to know:
1) What's in it for me?
2) Why should I believe you?
3) Why should I buy from you?
They will answer the first two questions to their
satisfaction within seconds. Only if they like these answers
will they even consider the third. And at least a partial answer
to it must come easily, or they'll never see your sales pitch.
Provided your page downloads quickly, visitors will stick
around until it does. But as it starts to load to the screen,
the first fold (screen) must fill rapidly. It must immediately
provide information that compels the answers you want your
visitor to decide upon. (If there are any graphics on the page,
be sure dimensions are included in the HTML so text will quickly
load up top.)
In the first fold, answers to the above questions must
flow from ...
1) Benefits, benefits, and more benefits
2) Demonstrated professionalism and expertise
3) Clear statement of the USP (Universal Selling Proposition)
More About Benefits
They must be presented with words. While not easy to define,
they are the only tool available to trigger the answer you want
to the question, "What's in it for me?" This part of the message
must be crafted as carefully as an ad central to a major
advertising campaign.
On a single product site, the home page headline shouts the
major benefit of the product. As with a good sales letter, each
word draws the visitor more deeply into the site. All is
benefits. And all points to the order form and a sale.
Most sites offer a variety of products and/or services, which
means the simplicity in a single product site can only be
approximated. The home page is the entrance to corridors leading
to the sale of different products. (Or to great information,
free stuff, etc.)
This requires even more judicious use of the top fold. The
benefits presented must be specific to products, rather than to
features of a single product. In the first fold, introduce those
products most likely to be of interest to an unknown visitor. A
possible alternative is to work with the products you most want
to sell.
Professionalism And Expertise
Demonstrate these as the first step in answering the
question, "Why should I believe you?" The way in which benefits
are presented goes a long way toward achieving this goal. Given
a sharp, professional presentation, your skeptical visitor is
likely to say, "So far, so good." And to withhold final
judgement, particularly as to trustworthiness.
In this regard, the appearance of the site is fundamental.
Again looking at the first fold, all must support well stated
benefits. Even enhance them. A garish or cluttered page
destroys any credibility that might flow from the content.
Likewise for any graphic that does not enhance the appearance of
the site *and* the message.
About Your USP
When a visitor answers the question, "Why should I buy from
you?" with, "Okay, you'll do," he or she is ready to buy. And
the option to do so must be handy. Throughout, however, the
content must continue to provide solid reasons for buying, for
you don't know when the decision may be made. It is not likely
to happen in the first fold. The initial response, though, needs
to be at least, "Okay, I'll tag along a ways." A good USP is
sufficient to bring this response.
The USP may be incorporated in a logo, offered in a colored
cell within a table, or maybe as the last line on the screen at
the bottom of the first fold. Where it is positioned is not
important. But the visitor must see it and easily grasp its
meaning in the first or second scan of the first fold.
But What About The Rest Of The Site?
Pieces of cake. Really. Some may argue the most difficult
task in online marketing is generating targeted traffic. I don't
agree. While it takes a good deal of time, effort and often
dollars, it is largely a 1-2-3 sort of process. Do this, that,
and then that. Others have clearly defined the steps that need
to be taken, and the order in which to take them.
For me, the greatest challenge in marketing online is
building the first fold on the home page. If your visitor
scrolls down or clicks off into the site, you have a potential
customer. In fact you have one who is likely to grant you a
little slack. Thus perfection is not demanded throughout the
site. Top quality is sufficient. But the first fold must be
absolutely perfect.
Think of a newspaper. What part of it is assembled with the
greatest care? The top fold of the first page. It's what shows
in vending machines and on newsstands. How many millions have
bought a newspaper because a single headline grabbed hard? Many,
that's certain. Is the first fold on your website less
important?
I have a strong hunch I can not demonstrate. Of those who
click off a site never to return, ninety-some percent do so
without leaving the first fold. Get it right and those who
arrive with, "What's in it for me?" will say, "This might do."
It's a giant step toward a sale.
