What is a website? It can be a one-page advertisement, a flash animation, a simple HTML page or an integrated matrix of information. But it is always – one of your strongest marketing tools. The effectiveness of this tool does NOT reside in the tool itself
It resides in the mind of the audience. Web design is subjective, not objective. It’s emotional, not rational. It’s a want, not a need. A message. Let me give you an example.
It’s a fact: most messages fail. Prove it to yourself. Go to ten websites. How many were effective at reaching you? Making you do something – call, order, inquire, bookmark? None? One? Most likely it wasn’t two.
Why do messages fail? You weren’t the target. It wasn’t meaningful, relevant, or memorable. We live in a message-polluted world, and the Internet is no different. With literally millions of websites, what will make yours successful?
Targeting. Targeting the right audience. Who’s your ideal purchaser, client, consumer? What do they like? What do they WANT?
Stories. We all tell stories. We sit around the dinner table and tell stories. It’s our empathy that lets us project ourselves into a story – and participate. We connect the dots. So
Tell a story. Make it compelling. But not just with words
Great stories are told with gestures, movements, animation, GRAPHICS. Consider the importance of HOW a story is told – pause; tone; pitchvisualization. Will your story draw in, engage, get the viewer to participate – ask “what’s next?” In web language – call, order something, inquire, bookmark for later?
GREAT websites tell your story. They focus on the importance of your story. They get viewers to DO something.
You don’t just need a web designer, you need a storyteller. A marketer. There is a difference.
Chuck Pearson is the Chief Creative Officer of Rareview, Inc., a unique web design firm that effectively tells your story by focusing on human behavior. View samples of our work at www.rareview.com.
