Oh Alright

If there’s one other thing I can rely on upon leaving the salon besides an invigorating new do, it’s an avid discussion over scissors and hairspray that usually always provides me with a fresh perspective. The scalp massage, of course, is the all-too-natural ice breaker begging my inner-most confessions, but this time it led to a rather revealing comparison.

These days it seems people are more aware of the benefits of a website, particularly in today’s dense online culture. From publications and business directories, to shopping carts and conversations, there is not one aspect of life that isn’t either fully or at least partially conducted online. If you don’t have a good reason for avoiding a website for your business, you might as well set up shop on the side of a barren dirt road.

What a more difficult sell is: the redesign. Your website is there, why does it need a change? People can see the contact information they can get relatively accurate information. Piece of cake. You just sit and wait for the phone calls! Except… they’re not really coming in, but why?

One brilliant analysis

Thanks to the insight of my hairstylist, she found a wonderful comparison to the purpose of a website in asking ‘what was life like without the internet’? Who was the first introduction to your company? Can we all agree it was the secretary? I certainly can. The secretary was the person who greeted me with a smile, sat me down in the comfy chair, and got me a hot cup of coffee. She helped book me in with an interview, setup payments through my bank, and showed me which brochures I’d be interested in or who was best for me to talk to. Before I even got down to business, I was happy and caffeinated, informed and prepared. With pampering like this, you can bet I’m going to make some kind of transaction.

So if you find yourself re-assessing your website, you might ask these questions: how does it treat your customers? Does it help them make a decision? Finally, are they happy at the end of their experience? This is what marketing, copywriting, and design can help you figure out.

Or you could just get pampered yourself – Maffeo Salon is my hotspot ;)

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 10th, 2010 at 4:42 pm and is filed under Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.