With millions of web sites out there, how can you make yours stand out? Many experts suggest putting a picture of yourself on your home page to add warmth and create a feeling of trust. They suggest visitors feel more comfortable knowing there’s a real person behind the otherwise anonymous web site. And while this is probably true, I still haven’t added my picture to my site. I’ve just never liked pictures of myself that much. (Note to self: Get over it!)
Breaking the Sound Barrier
Now, however, there’s a new and easy way to add your voice to your web site. I jumped at this as soon as I saw it demonstrated because it gives that sense of a real person and at the same time offers another familiar channel for communication.
There’s just something comforting about the human voice. Humans have been passing down stories through the oral tradition since our earliest days on the planet. I’m sure you still have warm memories of bedtime stories and have no doubt carried on that tradition if you have kids of your own. Books on tape continue to grow in popularity, as does the phenomenon of talk radio. We seem to be pre-wired to enjoy the sound of another person’s voice.
Where to Add Your Voice
There are a few natural spots to add your voice (or the voices of others) to your web site. As soon as I put my voice on my home page I noticed an immediate jump in the number of pages my visitors looked at. Signups for my newsletter jumped up as well.
Just about everyone has written testimonials on their web site. They’re a good way to add credibility and that sense of trust you need to develop with visitors who don’t know you personally. But consider how much more powerful those glowing statements could be if you heard them spoken directly to you by the person who wrote them.
Another good spot to have your voice is on your “action” pages. These would include your contact page, your newsletter sign-up page, or your shopping cart page, where people often abandon a site. Your spoken encouragement at just the right moment might make the difference between losing and gaining a new customer or client.
Emails and Newsletters Can Speak as Well
Another opportunity lies in your regular written communication. You can create an Audio Postcard (http://www.zmoon.com/cgi-bin/pl.pl?audio1) and link to it like this. Try clicking that link for a simple example of a way to warm up your text.
Try a Free Demo
The best thing about this new service is how easy it is to use. You just call a toll-free number and record your message right over the phone. A very short piece of code is generated which you can add to your web site. If you create an Audio Postcard, just copy and paste the link into your email or ezine. You can create an unlimited number of recordings and put them on as many web pages or emails as you like. There’s even a free demo (http://www.zmoon.com/cgi-bin/pl.pl?audiogen) so you can try it out for yourself without cost or obligation.
Conclusion
Once in awhile a new technology comes along with the power to revolutionize the way we do business on the web. I think this may be one of those items, but check it out for yourself and see what you think. Try it before your competition does!
Please forward this to a friend!
Les Goss is President of ZebraMoon Design, Inc.
To see a partial list of high-ranking web sites we’ve
created for our clients, please visit our web site at
http://www.zmoon.com.
Sign up for our free newsletter at
http://www.zmoon.com/webdesigntips.html. You’ll receive two
issues a month on topics that should help you stay a step
ahead of your competition.
