SPIDERbytes

The concept of web site “stickiness” is not new. It blossomed during the internet boom when metrics were all the rage. Stickiness, along with click-thrus, sessions, conversions, acquisition costs and many other measurements were introduced as tools to help manage a web site’s return on investment. 

 

Web marketers learned to measure them all and perfected ways of influencing and even controlling some of them. But, what seems to have been lost over this period of time is the underlying rationale for why they were and continue to be so important. Case in point: Stickiness.

 

Stickiness is a metaphor for describing how long your visitors stay on your web site and how often they return. The stickier your web site, it is presumed, the longer your visitors will stay and the more frequently they will return. You want your visitors to stay and return to your site because, in turn, they will hopefully become paying customers.

 

Techniques for getting people to stay and return to your web site have been explored ad-infinum and can easily fill up a magazine. The basics include articles, forums, help guides, newsletters, interactive tools, video, audio and more – you get the picture. 

 

But what really matters most is understanding why your web site needs to be sticky and then acting upon that information appropriately.

 

 

Building A Relationship

 

Whether your business is transaction based (selling office supplies, for example) or service based (offering personal coaching), one of your web site objectives is to make a prospect feel comfortable enough to take the next step in their purchase decision to contact you and/or make that purchase. Depending on the individual and the type of sale involved, there may be many factors involved in this decision making process. 

 

The typical business brochure is a one-sided “me, me, me” piece designed to portray your business as being the best and encouraging contact. But, when someone arrives at your web site (from any source such as search engines, ads or your brochure), this marketing ploy can only go so far. The visitor has already taken the next step and is now ready to get something in return – namely his or her questions answered or getting additional information that is not typically available in a brochure.

 

For this reason, your web site should communicate that your business is about more than just the sale. It should convey that you care about the customer and that you want to build a relationship with him. That means your web site should be perceived as a resource that simply comes along with being a client.

 

 

Do It For The Right Reason

 

If you build your web site to be sticky, with great tools, interactive features, and valuable resources, you will get many more visitors to your web site than you will customers. And, that’s o.k.

 

But, it’s not just o.k. for altruistic reasons. You aren’t just trying to be nice and make the web a better place by offering free information on your web site. Offering good resources on your site means people will visit, use the resources and leave. The reason this is absolutely fine is because getting people to the site who would never become a customer is the consequence of getting some visitors who will become customers. Your bottom line goal is to drive as many qualified prospects to your web site as possible, in order to have the largest audience to market to.

 

And, so, a good “sticky” web site creates the impression that your web site is about the visitor and not just about you.

 

 

Fit the Criteria

 

So, what is all the “sticky” material that goes on the web site? Does it always involve articles, audio, video, forums and the like?

 

The answer is that it varies significantly from web site to web site, from industry to industry and business to business. It is determined by your own business objectives and your anticipation of what your prospects want when searching the web for answers, information or resources as it relates to your business. That sounds like a tall order, but it doesn’t have to be. 

 

The “sticky” material you put on your web site should fit three criteria:

 

• It must be free.
• It must be valuable to the visitor (in the eye of the beholder).
• And, it must be un-related to a future sale.

 

In other words, it can’t be useful to them only if they buy a product or service from you. It needs to be some valuable information or activity that satisfies an interest they have that is also related to your business (otherwise why bother). Therefore, if they come to you site and read your interesting article and leave all the better for it, it qualifies as “sticky.”

 

So, if you sell flowers and gift-baskets on your web site, for instance, you might add a calendar of holidays and other important dates where visitors can also be automatically reminded. That would be considered sticky, and they don’t need to become a customer to benefit from the calendar or the reminders. Yet, if they find value in this type of service, they will likely consider your company when buying a gift.

 

They Will Do The Right Thing

 

Given an environment where prospects are getting their questions answered and needs satisfied from a web site, many in turn will make purchase decisions in favor of the company who provided the answers.

 

And, so, the ends justifies the means. A good sticky web site doesn’t trap a prospect and make them a customer. It merely gives them plenty of reasons to consider your business. And when they’re ready to make the purchase, they’ll be in the right place at the right time.