Reduce Anxiety to Increase Sales

I came across a great article recently titled Reducing Customer Anxiety About Products on Product Pages that described how to increase conversions on your e-commerce site. Though this article focused on reducing anxiety with e-commerce sites, it was a great piece of advice for many different types of web sites.

Successful businesses need to have a professional, attractive, and functional web site. This is fairly accepted by most people. However, how much time do we spend on crafting that site so that our potential customers feel safe and comfortable when interacting with our businesses and organizations on the web? I often see sites that spend lots of time on Flash or beautiful imagery but have very little content to tell a story or teach me how their products will benefit me. Non-profits and associations are also guilty of this – if I join an association, what can I expect as a member? What are the guidelines? What’s benefit for me?

Here are some ways to reduce visitor anxiety when he/she is exploring your web site:

• Create a Thorough FAQ. The FAQ seems to be a lost art and many sites either don’t have one or post a useless one that doesn’t really answer anything. A good FAQ should get inside the head of your constituents and address the common concerns that most people have about your product, service, or organization. This helps reduce anxiety and increases the level of familiarity that sites visitors have with your organization.
• Utilize Case Studies. Case studies are a powerful tool that can dramatically increase the level of trust you have with your audience. Tell stories about how you solved a problem or eased the pain for your customers and how they benefited from working with you. Stories about other customers are much more effective than self-promotion.

• Explain How You Are Different. Your competitors are all saying the same thing. They are probably using vague marketing messages centered about “customer service” or “quality”. Be different: tell your customer how you provide customer service. Explain why your quality is superior. Then, go a step further and explain how it will benefit your customer. These are the things your customers are asking as they explore your web site.

Your customers and constituents need to feel safe before they work with you. Don’t keep your stories in a black box. Ease their fears and anxiety by anticipating and addressing these concerns up front. People want to work with companies and organizations that are transparent and honest, not mysterious unknowns. Reduce anxiety and increase your sales.

Author: Michael Reynolds
Michael Reynolds is President and CEO of SpinWeb. His background includes information technology, design and branding, organizational productivity, and web marketing. In his spare time, Michael enjoys tennis, sushi, and his iPhone. Contact Michael at michael@spinweb.net or 866.SPINWEB x1200.

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