You have made the investment in an excellent business website and a high-end Search Engine Optimization package and Pay-Per-Click campaign. People are coming to your site and liking what they see.
Your product is right there on the home page, your informational copy is strong, and your site looks better than your competition’s. Now comes the million-dollar question: how do I turn these visits into growth for my business?
Two of the most important aspects of your site are the impact on your audience and the urgency that creates an immediate response.
Whether you are selling a product, a service, or a series of seminars…whether you are gathering a following, promoting live performances, or simply making people aware of what you do, the impact and urgency of your site can make a significant difference in your business. Below is a case study that shows you how you can turn the visitors you attract into a quantifiable commodity.
Case Study: Acting Success Now
Founded by Robert and Michelle Colt, Acting Success Now is a series of seminars for actors in New York and Los Angeles. They have provided a cutting-edge tool for thousands of actors to jump-start their careers easily and effortlessly. Check out www.actingsuccessnow.com.
The goals of our client’s site were simple:
• To help actors understand how the seminars can help them
• To elicit a sense of urgency for their careers
• To provide an easy way to sign up for a free seminar
The site has been extremely successful at meeting these goals, because it provides both impact and urgency.
Impact: Asking Questions
You will notice, upon visiting the site, a series of questions directed at the target audience. It is a well-understood phenomenon that in marketing, when asked a question, people unconsciously answer it. This technique draws the user in and gathers interest.
Impact: Giving Something Valuable Away…for Free
When your audience has the opportunity to experience your product without the risk of spending their hard-earned money, you are delivering a powerful message: you believe in what you do.
Impact: Testimonials
Nothing succeds like success. Throughout the site are numerous testimonials from Acting Success Now actors who have used the tools of the seminars to further their careers. If your clients like your product, give your target audience the opportunity to put themselves in your clients’ shoes with an excellent testimonial. You will even notice video testimonials at the bottom of the page that bring credence and warmth to the Acting Success Now message.
Urgency: Immediate Signup
On the home page, the target audience can sign up for a seminar in one easy click. This is an invaluable part of a good process. Having to call a phone number or send an email requires extra steps that can easily lose people. In this case, Acting Success Now has already made it easy for thousands of people to sign up for their seminars.
Urgency: Limited Availability
Acting Success Now’s seats fill up fast. By conveying this information to the audience, it creates an urgency to sign up. You will notice, at the bottom of the page, in red, a call to action that works beautifully for the client.
Urgency: Delivering the Message
The wording of the page, the use of bold and caps, even the use of color, convey a sense of urgency for the audience. The word “now” is even in the branding of the client’s logo. All over the home page, the user’s eye is drawn to the urgency of the client’s message.
The Hidden Impact: A Mailing List
Acting Success Now has an extensive mailing list that is driven by their website. All current and former seminar attendees receive value-added emails, and they also have the opportunity to find out about future seminars. With the use of an HTML template and ezinedirector, a powerful and inexpensive mailing list manager, Acting Success Now communicates regularly and promotes their business wisely.
In short, www.actingsuccessnow.com is a powerful website that creates both impact and urgency for its audience. Robert and Michelle Colt are master marketers, and their website works hard for them. And just as importantly, their seminars are excellent. I took the Acting Success Now seminar in July, 2007 and highly recommend it for any actor who wants a leg up in the entertainment business.