You can use online technology to say thank you to your frequent customers by offering gifts, coupons, information – or by selling more product. Hold on a second – by selling more? That’s right!

Here’s how:

Some “big brands” offer thank you gifts online. Only those who have signed up for an e-mail list or check the site often will hear about the special promotion. When people share it with their friends it only means valued customers are sharing their love for a brand.

• Alternative Rock band Coldplay offers a free download of their live album, LeftRightLeftRightLeft, on Coldplay.com in exchange for an email address.
• Zappos, the largest online store, emails their shoppers about Free Shipping, Free 365 Day Returns and Weekly Free Clothing Giveaways. The weekly winner received merchandise of up to $200 from Zappos.com.

When people visit your site and fill out a simple contact form and hit submit, they probably get redirected to a Thank You page. Are you using this page to truly thank your customers? Are you also using it as sales opportunity?

As soon as a website visitor joins your e-mail list or fills out a form, s/he has one question: “What happens now?” First, let your reader know they have successfully accomplished the goal of the form that loaded the Thank You page. (eg: “Your message has been received by customer support. Someone get back with you shortly.”) Tell them in detail what comes next. Do you have a new product to direct them to? A great news story for them to read?

A thank you page can also be a great place for a video. Here you can describe in detail, as only you can, face-to-face, why you appreciate the user visiting your website and what you have to offer that no one else does.

If you’ve ever ordered printed items online from Vistaprint, you probably know that their website is the King of Thank You’s. Offers automatically appear after your purchase with notes like: “Thanks for purchasing your magnets from Vistaprint. If you act in the next 25 minutes, you can order matching address labels for Half OFF with no additional shipping! ACT NOW!” Only those who have actually made a purchase will be able to view these special offers.

Online Social Networking also offers opportunities to say thank you. You can “follow” a business or promote their content on Twitter, “Like” their page on Facebook, “Share” their online message with those you are connected with online, write a recommendation on LinkedIn, or you can contribute to a discussion on their blog. Obviously, these are smaller thank-you’s and are only appropriate for the smaller occasions. Someone who introduced you to your new boss probably deserves more than just a “Tweet”.

Jay Conrad Levinson, the Father of Guerrilla Marketing, recently released his 4 secrets for successful website projects:

1. The nuts and bolts must be communicated prior to starting a website: the company’s overview, business model, goals and objectives, core competencies and competitive advantages, an industry overview, a key competitor review, target prospects, web analytics, strategy overview and action recommendations and benefits.

RDesign comments: If your website focuses on features instead of benefits, you’re missing Sales 101 in the text of your site. If your site shows a list of services and your contact information without explaining why you are the best at what you do while at the same time reflecting your company culture, you’ve invested in a cookie-cutter web site and prospective clients who visit your site will think of you as a cookie-cutter business.

2. Using the above information, your web design team should put together a work-scope document outlining the scope of the project from beginning to end, in a written and easy to follow outline.

RDesign comments: This allows your web team to communicate amongst themselves clearly, it allows you to make sure everyone is on the same page about what the project consists of, and it keeps details discussed early-on in the project from getting forgotten along the way.

3. On more advanced web implementation projects, you will need to get an engineering group involved for a “Functionality Specifications” document. This document takes each line item within the scope document and gives you engineering solutions, with all functionality and features defined in accordance with the planning set forth in the work scope document.

RDesign comments: Not every web designer is a programmer. Often this is the difference between a Web Designer and Web Developer. Be sure your design team and programming team outline details early on to avoid future mishaps or redesign due to miscommunicated functionality.

4. Consult with a web professional if you are not 100% positive what will apply to your website project. Demand excellence.

Jay goes on to say, “If you are not willing to invest the time and energy into a website project, you will not be as happy as you could be with the outcome. First, true guerrillas know that it’s crucial to invest time, energy, imagination and knowledge. Their marketing strategy is then based on psychology, not guesswork. True guerrillas … base their marketing tactics on the target market’s mindset. They must make informed decisions, based on the data and psychology of their consumers.”

At RDesign, we use data and web usage studies to guide us when designing a site. Of course we want a site to look great, but one that is pretty and does not lead the audience to your desired outcome has no value to your business. 

When you’re ready for a web site that achieves your goals with a blend of art, science, research (on both humans and search engines) and up-to-the-minute knowledge – we’re ready to help you get started! Contact us today.