Most visitors to your website are using computers
with audio capabilities. Recently introduced techniques make it easy to
take advantage of this capability.
In the past, web audio was primarily decorative,
consisting of musical fanfares or other clichéd sound effects. Now, you
can use audio to multiply the impact of your message and create
stronger bonds with your visitors.
Audio’s power comes from its ability to engage
more of your visitor’s senses. The more senses you engage, the easier
it will be to effectively communicate. Instead of just reading your
words and looking at your picture, you can communicate with your voice
– and the voices of your clients.
The power of audio can be appreciated by comparing
the newspaper column version of Tom and Ray Magliozzi’s Car Talk with
the program aired each week on National Public Radio. Although the
newspaper column and radio program address the same topics, it’s far
more fun to listen to Car Talk – where you can experience Tom and Ray’s
intonations and phrasing – than to read the same words.
Here are some of the ways you can employ audio on
your website:
- Welcoming messages. You can create closer
emotional bonds with website visitors by personally welcoming them to
your site and introducing some of the features they should explore.
- Testimonials. Audio testimonials are far more
powerful that written testimonials, especially if you include a
photograph of the individual speaking the testimonial. The next best
thing to a face-to-face referral is a recording of a client explaining
their satisfaction with your product in their own words.
- Guarantees. Your satisfaction guarantees gain
impact when you deliver them in your own voice. Place them on your
order form, at the point of sale. People are inherently cautious about
ordering products and services from the Internet. Reassure them that
their credit card and personal information are safe with you.
- Seminars and teleconferences. Short excerpts
about upcoming events can make your event even more appealing. Snippets
from past seminars can whet visitors’ appetites for more.
- Tips. Add interest to your site by describing
an audio ‘tip of the day’ or ‘tip of the week’ in your own words. Be
sure to offer access to previous tips, to
- Audio postcards. You can include audio
invitations and testimonials as links in email sent to clients and
prospects. To arrange an audio testimonial, simply provide your client
with a phone number and password, and invite them to call up and
express their satisfaction with their purchase from you. Audio
postcards are a great way to stay in contact with your clients and
prospects with an announcement of an upcoming product or service. They
are also a quick way to acknowledge a special occasion.
- Streaming audio can be used to allow visitors
to playback longer events, like seminars or teleconferences.
When you add audio to your website, allow your
visitors to maintain control. Don’t begin playing your message when the
webpage loads. Instead, invite visitors to ‘click here’ to hear your
voice. Keep your messages as short and concise as possible.
And avoid ‘scripting’ your introductions and
guarantees. Write down the key ideas you want to communicate, but
deliver them in your own words as conversationally as possible.
Web audio is no longer a futuristic luxury. Web
audio is here now and it’s as close as your telephone. It is an
affordable and easily added feature that can set you apart from the
competition and help communicate your message with added impact.
Roger C. Parker is the $32,000,000 author with
over 1.6 million books in print. Do you make these marketing and design
mistakes? Find out at www.gmarketing-design.com
roger@gmarketing-design.com | 