 |
 |
Monday, March 11, 2002
If you're planning your first website, or redoing your current one to take
it to the next level, but stuck because of all the contradictory information
out there, today's article is for you.
It contains only 5 essential "must dos" for your site, and helps you understand that the point of your website is to truly reflect who you are. A relief? I bet!
Also in today's issue is information about the next sections of the TeleClass called Winning Websites for coaches, led by Dave Buck. Word has it that taking this course leads to new clients! Details below.
Happy Reading,
Andrea Lee
GM, CoachVille
A
website can best help you fill your practice if you understand the 5
marketing rules about an effective home page...
There are a lot of experts who will tell you very different things about
what you should, and shouldn't, have on your home page and on your
website.
And, you know what? Most of these experts ARE correct because there are so many proven ways to set up your home page and website. True, some designs work better than others, but some of the not too pretty websites do a great job of funneling clients to coaches.
That said, there are a couple of marketing rules that will help to increase your conversion rate, regardless of how you've set up your home page to look and feel.
Rule #1: Your
home page needs to...
Orient the focus of your home page
to be on the visitor and the situation(s) they are facing...
It may be tempting to have a website that explains what coaching is and
describes who you are and what you do. But, please resist that temptation.
Remember, the visitor doesn't really care about coaching per se. What they
really want is a solution to their problem or a strategy to get what they
most want right now in their life. Yes, you and your credentials and all
that are very important, but first appeal to what's on the mind of the
visitor. Start there and weave everything else around that.
Rule #2: Your home page needs to...
Easily answer these 3 questions...
1. Do you understand me?
Do you understand what's important to me? Do you understand what makes me
tick? Do you understand what I need right now? Do you understand how
unique I am? Do you understand how I make buying decisions?
2. Do you offer what I need?
In other words, make sure what you offer is incredibly clear and specific.
Remember, they are NOT buying coaching. They are buying a supportive
partner, a solution, a strategy and/or an expert.
3. Do I like you?
Given how personal coaching is, you are the product that visitors are buy,
not coaching itself. (What's coaching without the coach?) Make sure the
tone of your site is friendly, believable and you.
Rule #3: Your home
page needs to...
Demonstrate your expertise in some
compelling way.
At some point along the visitors buying process, they are going to
be looking for how expert or credible YOU are. (Not coaching itself;
rather, you.) There are several ways to demonstrate/evidence your
expertise.
1. Testimonials (specifically describing outcomes)
2. Situational Solutions (top tens, expert topical articles)
3. Credentials, degrees, designations, newspaper articles
4. Case studies and solutions
5. Menu of situations/goals that you're an expert in
Rule #4: Your home page
needs to...
Make it impossible for the visitor to say
no to at least one thing you are offering.
An information rich website is a wonderful thing, but if it doesn't get
the visitor to take at least one action, then your site might as well hang
at a gallery for all the good it will do you. Okay, so that's a bit
overstated, but the point here is to guide EVERY visitor to take at least
one step in your direction.
Examples:
1. To give you their email address for follow up.
2. To call you for a free session.
3. To sign up for a free TeleClass
4. To buy/get for free your ebook.
5. To take a free assessment.
90% of folks won't hire you on the spot right after visiting your site (although 10% will...), so you'll need to find ways to bring the two of you closer and closer until they are ready to buy your coaching services. The list of 5 above are proven examples of what works in this regard.
Rule #5: Your home page
needs to...
Fully reflect your
personality and style.
It may be tempting to just have a
'traditional' website that won't turn anyone off, but as 10,000 coaches
all get websites, it behooves you to design a site that reflects you, your
favorite colors, personality, style and priorities. After all, the visitor
is hiring YOU, not a coaching service. The better they get a sense of who
you are, the easier they'll be able to hire you. Sure, your 'fully
expressed' site won't appeal to everyone and you may even turn some folks
off, but the visitors who find your approach/site appealing will convert
at a very high rate. Don't try to appeal to everyone. Don't be bland.
Don't be safe.
Copyright 2002. Excerpted from the WInning Websites for Coaches TeleClass
Program from CoachVille.com All rights reserved.
Winning Websites for Coaches - Full Practice Curriculum
$129 General Public, $99 for CoachVille Members, Graduate School of Coaching Members, this course is free and accessible to you from the GSC member area here. You will need your GSC username and password. Interested in the GSC? Go here.
The next LIVE offerings of the Winning Websites for Coaches TeleClass are now available for registration:
- Six Wednesdays, March 20 & 27, April
3, 10 & 24 and May 8. (6-7PM Eastern/NY)
This includes access to tapings of the class via RealAudio, notes containing the websites visited in the virtual tour, among other resources. Click Here to Register Immediately Online
OR
- Six Mondays, June 3, 10 & 17, July 1,
8 & 15. (3-4PM Eastern/NY)
This includes access to tapings of the class via RealAudio, notes containing the websites visited in the virtual tour, among other resources. Click Here to Register Immediately Online
Description:
Let's get right to the point - to build a thriving coaching business you
either need to be an extraordinary sales person (that's funny) OR you need a
great website. Not just any website, a site that reflects your voice, your
point or view and your style. AND it needs to be extremely inviting and
informative - NOT to everyone, just to your ideal clients. You may not know
where to begin or what to write. You may have a website that needs a major
personality adjustment. You may have no idea how to get ideal prospects to
visit your site so that you can benefit from all the time and energy you
spent creating it!
In this innovative 'web-enhanced' TeleClass (affectionately known as a virtual guided tour) you will not only learn the best website design strategies - you will see for yourself the best coaching sites on the web. Seeing is believing! We'll visit, talk about and critique the best sites and in the process you will create a strategy that will work for you.
E-commerce explained! Yes, in this class you will learn the steps you must take to collect money on your site. With concrete examples as your guide!
If your site is up and running, we can include your site in our virtual tour - you'll get instant feedback from a lively group of experts (a MAJOR value add).
Note: This class is founded on the principles laid out in Full Practice 100 Lessons 25-34 and 50-54 (weeks 6, 7, 10). If you don't already know this course, that's fine, there's no requirement, but if you wish to find out more, go here. The Full Practice 100 ecourse is free to CoachVille and Graduate School of Coaching members.
Outline:
- Week 1
--Website design primer
--Website as email converter - essential for realizing the long term value of a visitor / follower / potential client
- Week 2
--Website as a solution
--Website as a Sales Letter
--Website as a program menu
- Week 3
--Website as a billboard
--Website as a mall
--Website as a Portal
--Website as a testimonial center
- Week 4
--E-Commerce primer: Shopping carts, merchant accounts, auto-responders and affiliate programs.
--Everything you need to know to generate revenue and automate time-consuming manual processes.
(This session alone is worth the price of the class.)
- Week 5
--E-Commerce continued: In this session we will tour several coaching sites that provide great examples of how to "work" e-commerce
--Passive revenue primer
- Week 6
--Driving traffic to your site thru
-----Search engines
-----"pay-per-click" sites
-----coach referral services
-----yahoo
-----links with other sites
Final Note:
You will get lots from this class just by phone, and by browsing the web
addresses from the virtual tour after the class. (All virtual tour addresses
will be posted in the student only resource area.) To get the full impact of
this course though, you need to be able to be online and on the phone
simultaneously for the majority of the classes. Please, standard TeleClass
ground rules apply - no cell phones. Thanks! This class WILL fill quickly.
Click the appropriate link below to reserve your seat:
Six Wednesdays, March 20 & 27, April 3,
10 & 24 and May 8. (6-7PM Eastern/NY)
Click Here to Register Immediately Online
OR
Six Mondays, June 3, 10 & 17, July 1, 8 &
15. (3-4PM Eastern/NY)
Click Here to Register Immediately Online
Pre-class Instructions:
If you are interested in having your site included in the virtual web tour,
email dave@davebuck.com at least one
week prior to the first class. Dave won't respond to you individually, but
those of you who are included in the tour will know who you are!