No. 35 Strategies for Company Websites(August 31, 2006)
With the rise of the Internet, we are seeing dramatic changes in the volume and quality of information and the methods of transmitting information. This is all occurring while the existing forms of mass media are becoming weaker and consumers are arming themselves with information. Businesses are also compelled to transform their sites in order to respond to these changes.
In this column, we will present five points companies should consider when using the Internet as a business tool.
Act with sincerity
When a company decides do business on the Internet, it is first important that they endeavor to approach it with sincerity. It goes without saying that sincerity is important in all customer interactions, whether on a website or not. However, it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether your customers actually see your website as sincere from their perspective.
Since web users, in particular, communicate through a variety of means including word of mouth and blogs, the truth can be exposed immediately if, for example, you do not provide sufficient information to your users or if you make false statements. Moreover, users start out with a very low level of trust, believing that business websites only show information that is to their own advantage, so you will quickly lose their trust if you do not always act with the utmost sincerity.
Take, for instance, a case in which there was a problem with your site and users were temporarily unable to access it. Research has shown over and over again that even if the problem was your company's fault, you will receive far fewer complaints if you notify your users in a timely manner about the cause and handling of the problem than companies who do not. Instead of delaying the handling of a mistake because of the fear of accusation, it is more persuasive to users if you quickly provide them with the information they need.
Over-the-top sales pitches or inducements that ignore user needs and articles written to benefit only the company are often viewed with distaste by users. There are many cases in which users have sharply criticized companies who include self-flattering, self-authored articles in their blogs, which in turn has forced companies to shut down their blogs.
These days, crisis management has become a hot topic for businesses. Companies need to remain cognizant of the fact that online communication can easily reveal the company's ethics, since users can readily obtain a second opinion.
Design products and services with comparison in mind
One characteristic of the Internet is that it encourages users to engage in proactive comparison.
To make a good case for your products and services, therefore, you must design and roll out products and services which will either:
- hold their own in a comparison, or
- be beyond comparison.
Here, it important that you are actually comparing the same things as your users, and that you are making comparisons from the proper perspective.
Even if a company believes their product or service to be superior in a certain aspect, what the user values is often something completely different. It is therefore essential to grasp what the user considers to be important through, for example, by observing user behavior (through usability testing) and to then to polish your strategy for development with regard to the products and/or services on your site.
Use language that convinces users that your strengths are actually their needs
It may difficult to uncover the needs of your users through the self-service media that is your website. In order to draw attention to your products or services on your site, you must be skilled at utilizing your users・needs.
Specifically, along with understanding your users・needs, it is important to find the areas in which their needs and your company strengths match and to then translate those into language your users can easily understand. You should pay extra careful attention word selection, taking care to employ vocabulary and expressions that suit your customers・situations, using words that they recognize. Doing this will enable you to convey your message to your users.
Respond to change flexibly, knowing you will be imitated
The speed at which competitors imitate others is accelerating. It is important to not only recognize this fact, but it is more essential than ever to always be prepared to respond quickly to changes.
To do so, it is beneficial to first go through a hypothesis testing cycle (PDCA cycle) and have in place a mechanism that enables you to always consider your next move. For instance, make it possible to get feedback on your site by utilizing web analytics and other methods. This will enable you to quickly grasp any changes that may occur. Furthermore, by constructing a system that allows you to quickly make corrections or updates to your site, you can respond to changes and operate a site that will always continue to draw in your users.
Take advantage of all functions, for both outgoing・and incoming・information
People commonly focus solely on getting exposure for their company on a website, through product promotions, for example. The Internet not only provides you with this type of outgoing・function, but also has built-in incoming・functions. When you consider what these may be, you may imagine features that allow you to accept inquiries or actual orders from customers, but there are actually many other ways to get input from users. For instance, you can find out what customers are thinking through surveys or you can employ web analytics to verify the effectiveness of your television commercials and grasp consumer trends. In fact, there are numerous ways to use these so-called incoming・functions of your website.
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