Web Site Basics for Service Business
| Category: Online Promotion | Date: 2003-11-06 |
Unlike products, services can be intangible. So what do you show when there’s nothing to show? Here’s how.
If you aren’t selling widgets on your Web site, then you’re probably using it to promote your services, which is especially challenging because they are intangible. Your Web site is out there in cyberspace without you. How to demonstrate your expertise if you’re not there to explain it? What do you show when there’s nothing to show?
The Web site for a service business can be targeted to two audiences:
Familiars Those who already know a bit about your firm and want to learn more right away.
Strangers who want to anonymously find out about your business before they contact you.
Ideally, the content of your Web site will satisfy both kinds of visitors, but your site will be more effective if you know whether the majority of your visitors are strangers or familiars.
How to Explain and Concretize Your Services Online
A service isn’t like a product it’s not a stand-alone thing It’s usually tailored to each particular client and their needs. That’s why it takes extra effort to describe it in a way that will engage your listener (if you’re in person or on the phone) or your reader (either online or on paper). Here are three strategies for describing intangible services that will help your prospects understand what you do and, more importantly, what you can do for them.
1. Tell a story. The journey from problem to solution is a story, and if you describe it that way, people are more likely to listen because, after all, people love stories. People tend to lower their defenses when they listen to a story, which means they’ll hear more and understand more. Here’s what you can include to help get the story of your services across:
Characters that listeners/readers can identify with. They should be able to say, Me too, to recognize their situation in the one you’re describing.
A conflict or problem that needs to be solved.
A hero to solve the problem (that’s you!)
A happy ending where the problem is resolved and the bottom line improves.
Humor and an engaging storytelling voice to engage the listener/reader.
2. Offer a step-by-step explanation. You can just explain things, but be very specific to your field. Although this technique can be dry, it’s also very clear and easy to understand and appeals to some people. Follow a format like this:
You have this problem
We analyze your situation
We present you with several options
We implement these options by...
We test...
We release it and you’re open for business...
3. Offer a case study. Case studies are a cross between a story and an explanation. Using short, bulleted points, you describe a company and their problem. You describe what you did to solve their problem. You have quotes from your client on how you made their life easier or how you helped them.
Good for Familiars
Most visitors to http://www.reli.com, the Web site of Resource Evaluation Leaders Inc. (RELI, pronounced rely), a consulting firm in the healthcare industry, are familiars. Many have even met Caryn Isaacs, spokesperson for RELI, through her persistent real-world networking. They may have stopped by the RELI booth at a healthcare convention or meeting, heard about the firm in a study group, through a healthcare union program, or through an ad in a medical journal. In other words, they come to the Web site with a context, with an interest in the company and a foundation (or some familiarity) about what they’ll find.
The navigation buttons on the RELI Web site are especially effective for Familiars. These visitors know the jargon of the healthcare industry and understand that each button Representation, Operations, Product Design represents a service offered by RELI. Clicking on these pages takes a visitor to more information about each service, such as details about specific projects, with short and to-the-point descriptive text, making it easy to read.
What Can Be Improved for Strangers
A stranger who surfs onto the RELI Web site will probably get the general sense of the services offered from the brief summation of who they are and what they do, but much would be clarified if they used one of the storytelling techniques outlined above.
For example, testimonials and quotations from satisfied clients would effectively tell their story in a more credible way than they possible could--because its from their customers, which offers the additional benefit of lending credibility as well.
Unfortunately, Isaacs says this is not possible for RELI. We can’t put client names on the site because the information is proprietary. There are ways, however, to provide the necessary and helpful specifics without revealing too much. For example, RELI could offer project details and use initials for their clients (rather than full names and company names), and then arrange to release with permission actual names to potential clients on a case-by-case basis. Or they could just say Company name withheld for privacy your privacy is of utmost concern to us. That tells prospects that their privacy is safe, while at the same time getting those valuable quotes in.
Another common dilemma, both online and offline, can arise when you offer too many details about a specific project, making it easy for prospects to pigeon-hole your firm. For example, if RELI describes a project they did for an HMO, a visitor to their Web site could assume that’s all they do. One way to resolve this is to list a wide and balanced range of services, without being specific about which you’ve provided and which you can provide.
The Five Basic Pages that Every Web Site Should Have
Whether your Web site is designed to promote services or products, here are the basics that it should offer to both strangers and familiars so they can find out enough about your business to take the next step: making contact.
Home Page
About Us
Examples of your services or products
Client List
Contact info
About the Author
Ilise Benun is the publisher of the Web site for The Art of Self Promotion, a quarterly (print) newsletter of manageable marketing ideas, and the author of Self Promotion Online, an invaluable resource for anyone interested in learning effective strategies to promote oneself via the internet.
http://www.artofselfpromotion.com
http://www.selfpromotiononline.com
(201) 653-0783
Unlike products, services can be intangible. So what do you show when there’s nothing to show? Here’s how.
If you aren’t selling widgets on your Web site, then you’re probably using it to promote your services, which is especially challenging because they are intangible. Your Web site is out there in cyberspace without you. How to demonstrate your expertise if you’re not there to explain it? What do you show when there’s nothing to show?
The Web site for a service business can be targeted to two audiences:
Familiars Those who already know a bit about your firm and want to learn more right away.
Strangers who want to anonymously find out about your business before they contact you.
Ideally, the content of your Web site will satisfy both kinds of visitors, but your site will be more effective if you know whether the majority of your visitors are strangers or familiars.
How to Explain and Concretize Your Services Online
A service isn’t like a product it’s not a stand-alone thing It’s usually tailored to each particular client and their needs. That’s why it takes extra effort to describe it in a way that will engage your listener (if you’re in person or on the phone) or your reader (either online or on paper). Here are three strategies for describing intangible services that will help your prospects understand what you do and, more importantly, what you can do for them.
1. Tell a story. The journey from problem to solution is a story, and if you describe it that way, people are more likely to listen because, after all, people love stories. People tend to lower their defenses when they listen to a story, which means they’ll hear more and understand more. Here’s what you can include to help get the story of your services across:
Characters that listeners/readers can identify with. They should be able to say, Me too, to recognize their situation in the one you’re describing.
A conflict or problem that needs to be solved.
A hero to solve the problem (that’s you!)
A happy ending where the problem is resolved and the bottom line improves.
Humor and an engaging storytelling voice to engage the listener/reader.
2. Offer a step-by-step explanation. You can just explain things, but be very specific to your field. Although this technique can be dry, it’s also very clear and easy to understand and appeals to some people. Follow a format like this:
You have this problem
We analyze your situation
We present you with several options
We implement these options by...
We test...
We release it and you’re open for business...
3. Offer a case study. Case studies are a cross between a story and an explanation. Using short, bulleted points, you describe a company and their problem. You describe what you did to solve their problem. You have quotes from your client on how you made their life easier or how you helped them.
Good for Familiars
Most visitors to http://www.reli.com, the Web site of Resource Evaluation Leaders Inc. (RELI, pronounced rely), a consulting firm in the healthcare industry, are familiars. Many have even met Caryn Isaacs, spokesperson for RELI, through her persistent real-world networking. They may have stopped by the RELI booth at a healthcare convention or meeting, heard about the firm in a study group, through a healthcare union program, or through an ad in a medical journal. In other words, they come to the Web site with a context, with an interest in the company and a foundation (or some familiarity) about what they’ll find.
The navigation buttons on the RELI Web site are especially effective for Familiars. These visitors know the jargon of the healthcare industry and understand that each button Representation, Operations, Product Design represents a service offered by RELI. Clicking on these pages takes a visitor to more information about each service, such as details about specific projects, with short and to-the-point descriptive text, making it easy to read.
What Can Be Improved for Strangers
A stranger who surfs onto the RELI Web site will probably get the general sense of the services offered from the brief summation of who they are and what they do, but much would be clarified if they used one of the storytelling techniques outlined above.
For example, testimonials and quotations from satisfied clients would effectively tell their story in a more credible way than they possible could--because its from their customers, which offers the additional benefit of lending credibility as well.
Unfortunately, Isaacs says this is not possible for RELI. We can’t put client names on the site because the information is proprietary. There are ways, however, to provide the necessary and helpful specifics without revealing too much. For example, RELI could offer project details and use initials for their clients (rather than full names and company names), and then arrange to release with permission actual names to potential clients on a case-by-case basis. Or they could just say Company name withheld for privacy your privacy is of utmost concern to us. That tells prospects that their privacy is safe, while at the same time getting those valuable quotes in.
Another common dilemma, both online and offline, can arise when you offer too many details about a specific project, making it easy for prospects to pigeon-hole your firm. For example, if RELI describes a project they did for an HMO, a visitor to their Web site could assume that’s all they do. One way to resolve this is to list a wide and balanced range of services, without being specific about which you’ve provided and which you can provide.
The Five Basic Pages that Every Web Site Should Have
Whether your Web site is designed to promote services or products, here are the basics that it should offer to both strangers and familiars so they can find out enough about your business to take the next step: making contact.
Home Page
About Us
Examples of your services or products
Client List
Contact info
About the Author
Ilise Benun is the publisher of the Web site for The Art of Self Promotion, a quarterly (print) newsletter of manageable marketing ideas, and the author of Self Promotion Online, an invaluable resource for anyone interested in learning effective strategies to promote oneself via the internet.To contact see details below.
(201) 653-0783
http://www.artofselfpromotion.com
http://www.selfpromotiononline.com
If you aren’t selling widgets on your Web site, then you’re probably using it to promote your services, which is especially challenging because they are intangible. Your Web site is out there in cyberspace without you. How to demonstrate your expertise if you’re not there to explain it? What do you show when there’s nothing to show?
The Web site for a service business can be targeted to two audiences:
Familiars Those who already know a bit about your firm and want to learn more right away.
Strangers who want to anonymously find out about your business before they contact you.
Ideally, the content of your Web site will satisfy both kinds of visitors, but your site will be more effective if you know whether the majority of your visitors are strangers or familiars.
How to Explain and Concretize Your Services Online
A service isn’t like a product it’s not a stand-alone thing It’s usually tailored to each particular client and their needs. That’s why it takes extra effort to describe it in a way that will engage your listener (if you’re in person or on the phone) or your reader (either online or on paper). Here are three strategies for describing intangible services that will help your prospects understand what you do and, more importantly, what you can do for them.
1. Tell a story. The journey from problem to solution is a story, and if you describe it that way, people are more likely to listen because, after all, people love stories. People tend to lower their defenses when they listen to a story, which means they’ll hear more and understand more. Here’s what you can include to help get the story of your services across:
Characters that listeners/readers can identify with. They should be able to say, Me too, to recognize their situation in the one you’re describing.
A conflict or problem that needs to be solved.
A hero to solve the problem (that’s you!)
A happy ending where the problem is resolved and the bottom line improves.
Humor and an engaging storytelling voice to engage the listener/reader.
2. Offer a step-by-step explanation. You can just explain things, but be very specific to your field. Although this technique can be dry, it’s also very clear and easy to understand and appeals to some people. Follow a format like this:
You have this problem
We analyze your situation
We present you with several options
We implement these options by...
We test...
We release it and you’re open for business...
3. Offer a case study. Case studies are a cross between a story and an explanation. Using short, bulleted points, you describe a company and their problem. You describe what you did to solve their problem. You have quotes from your client on how you made their life easier or how you helped them.
Good for Familiars
Most visitors to http://www.reli.com, the Web site of Resource Evaluation Leaders Inc. (RELI, pronounced rely), a consulting firm in the healthcare industry, are familiars. Many have even met Caryn Isaacs, spokesperson for RELI, through her persistent real-world networking. They may have stopped by the RELI booth at a healthcare convention or meeting, heard about the firm in a study group, through a healthcare union program, or through an ad in a medical journal. In other words, they come to the Web site with a context, with an interest in the company and a foundation (or some familiarity) about what they’ll find.
The navigation buttons on the RELI Web site are especially effective for Familiars. These visitors know the jargon of the healthcare industry and understand that each button Representation, Operations, Product Design represents a service offered by RELI. Clicking on these pages takes a visitor to more information about each service, such as details about specific projects, with short and to-the-point descriptive text, making it easy to read.
What Can Be Improved for Strangers
A stranger who surfs onto the RELI Web site will probably get the general sense of the services offered from the brief summation of who they are and what they do, but much would be clarified if they used one of the storytelling techniques outlined above.
For example, testimonials and quotations from satisfied clients would effectively tell their story in a more credible way than they possible could--because its from their customers, which offers the additional benefit of lending credibility as well.
Unfortunately, Isaacs says this is not possible for RELI. We can’t put client names on the site because the information is proprietary. There are ways, however, to provide the necessary and helpful specifics without revealing too much. For example, RELI could offer project details and use initials for their clients (rather than full names and company names), and then arrange to release with permission actual names to potential clients on a case-by-case basis. Or they could just say Company name withheld for privacy your privacy is of utmost concern to us. That tells prospects that their privacy is safe, while at the same time getting those valuable quotes in.
Another common dilemma, both online and offline, can arise when you offer too many details about a specific project, making it easy for prospects to pigeon-hole your firm. For example, if RELI describes a project they did for an HMO, a visitor to their Web site could assume that’s all they do. One way to resolve this is to list a wide and balanced range of services, without being specific about which you’ve provided and which you can provide.
The Five Basic Pages that Every Web Site Should Have
Whether your Web site is designed to promote services or products, here are the basics that it should offer to both strangers and familiars so they can find out enough about your business to take the next step: making contact.
Home Page
About Us
Examples of your services or products
Client List
Contact info
About the Author
Ilise Benun is the publisher of the Web site for The Art of Self Promotion, a quarterly (print) newsletter of manageable marketing ideas, and the author of Self Promotion Online, an invaluable resource for anyone interested in learning effective strategies to promote oneself via the internet.
http://www.artofselfpromotion.com
http://www.selfpromotiononline.com
(201) 653-0783
Unlike products, services can be intangible. So what do you show when there’s nothing to show? Here’s how.
If you aren’t selling widgets on your Web site, then you’re probably using it to promote your services, which is especially challenging because they are intangible. Your Web site is out there in cyberspace without you. How to demonstrate your expertise if you’re not there to explain it? What do you show when there’s nothing to show?
The Web site for a service business can be targeted to two audiences:
Familiars Those who already know a bit about your firm and want to learn more right away.
Strangers who want to anonymously find out about your business before they contact you.
Ideally, the content of your Web site will satisfy both kinds of visitors, but your site will be more effective if you know whether the majority of your visitors are strangers or familiars.
How to Explain and Concretize Your Services Online
A service isn’t like a product it’s not a stand-alone thing It’s usually tailored to each particular client and their needs. That’s why it takes extra effort to describe it in a way that will engage your listener (if you’re in person or on the phone) or your reader (either online or on paper). Here are three strategies for describing intangible services that will help your prospects understand what you do and, more importantly, what you can do for them.
1. Tell a story. The journey from problem to solution is a story, and if you describe it that way, people are more likely to listen because, after all, people love stories. People tend to lower their defenses when they listen to a story, which means they’ll hear more and understand more. Here’s what you can include to help get the story of your services across:
Characters that listeners/readers can identify with. They should be able to say, Me too, to recognize their situation in the one you’re describing.
A conflict or problem that needs to be solved.
A hero to solve the problem (that’s you!)
A happy ending where the problem is resolved and the bottom line improves.
Humor and an engaging storytelling voice to engage the listener/reader.
2. Offer a step-by-step explanation. You can just explain things, but be very specific to your field. Although this technique can be dry, it’s also very clear and easy to understand and appeals to some people. Follow a format like this:
You have this problem
We analyze your situation
We present you with several options
We implement these options by...
We test...
We release it and you’re open for business...
3. Offer a case study. Case studies are a cross between a story and an explanation. Using short, bulleted points, you describe a company and their problem. You describe what you did to solve their problem. You have quotes from your client on how you made their life easier or how you helped them.
Good for Familiars
Most visitors to http://www.reli.com, the Web site of Resource Evaluation Leaders Inc. (RELI, pronounced rely), a consulting firm in the healthcare industry, are familiars. Many have even met Caryn Isaacs, spokesperson for RELI, through her persistent real-world networking. They may have stopped by the RELI booth at a healthcare convention or meeting, heard about the firm in a study group, through a healthcare union program, or through an ad in a medical journal. In other words, they come to the Web site with a context, with an interest in the company and a foundation (or some familiarity) about what they’ll find.
The navigation buttons on the RELI Web site are especially effective for Familiars. These visitors know the jargon of the healthcare industry and understand that each button Representation, Operations, Product Design represents a service offered by RELI. Clicking on these pages takes a visitor to more information about each service, such as details about specific projects, with short and to-the-point descriptive text, making it easy to read.
What Can Be Improved for Strangers
A stranger who surfs onto the RELI Web site will probably get the general sense of the services offered from the brief summation of who they are and what they do, but much would be clarified if they used one of the storytelling techniques outlined above.
For example, testimonials and quotations from satisfied clients would effectively tell their story in a more credible way than they possible could--because its from their customers, which offers the additional benefit of lending credibility as well.
Unfortunately, Isaacs says this is not possible for RELI. We can’t put client names on the site because the information is proprietary. There are ways, however, to provide the necessary and helpful specifics without revealing too much. For example, RELI could offer project details and use initials for their clients (rather than full names and company names), and then arrange to release with permission actual names to potential clients on a case-by-case basis. Or they could just say Company name withheld for privacy your privacy is of utmost concern to us. That tells prospects that their privacy is safe, while at the same time getting those valuable quotes in.
Another common dilemma, both online and offline, can arise when you offer too many details about a specific project, making it easy for prospects to pigeon-hole your firm. For example, if RELI describes a project they did for an HMO, a visitor to their Web site could assume that’s all they do. One way to resolve this is to list a wide and balanced range of services, without being specific about which you’ve provided and which you can provide.
The Five Basic Pages that Every Web Site Should Have
Whether your Web site is designed to promote services or products, here are the basics that it should offer to both strangers and familiars so they can find out enough about your business to take the next step: making contact.
Home Page
About Us
Examples of your services or products
Client List
Contact info
About the Author
Ilise Benun is the publisher of the Web site for The Art of Self Promotion, a quarterly (print) newsletter of manageable marketing ideas, and the author of Self Promotion Online, an invaluable resource for anyone interested in learning effective strategies to promote oneself via the internet.To contact see details below.
(201) 653-0783
http://www.artofselfpromotion.com
http://www.selfpromotiononline.com
Copyright © 2005-2006 Powered by Custom PHP Programming