Make Your Site Interactive

One of the basic facts of marketing, whether it is for a brick and mortar business or an Internet-based business, is this: in order to be successful you must give the customer (or potential customer) what they want. If you have a brick and mortar business you must ensure that you have a knowledgeable staff that can interact with them effectively; answer their questions, provide accurate information and be prompt and courteous. If you have a web-based business you need to provide much of the same customer service functions, but virtually. In order to do this your website must be interactive. To create an interactive website you must provide functions on your site that allow your customer to feel like they're getting what they want, when they want. If they want product information they need to be able to click and receive, right then, right there. They may also feel more at home if there's a means by which they can communicate with your or other customers. To do this you can create a message board or blog on your site that will allow them to virtually connect with other people with their same interests. These types of things make a customer feel like their needs are being met and leaves them feeling more satisfied. And a satisfied customer not only spends more money but will send potential customers your way. Another important tool for your website is a feedback form. This form allows customers to give you feedback directly from your site, rather than having to send it from their e-mail. By placing the feedback form on your site you make the customer feel like their comments, concerns or complaints are important to you, and this makes them feel good about you as a business person. Be sure to place this form in an easy-to-find location on your website. While adding these tools to your website may seem complicated, or even pricey, they are well worth it in the long run. Most web-hosting companies offer these tools and many more in their hosting packages. For a few additional dollars each month you can improve your customer satisfaction rating and traffic flow greatly.