A team of Canadian scientists, at the University of Montreal (just down the road from us) is developing software that will measure the emotional responses of people viewing Web pages. They’ll be measuring facial expressions, eye movement and body heat, all to analyze how those users are relating to their online experience. Why is this important?
According to Professor Defresne, “With e-commerce and the multiplication of retail Web sites, it has become crucial for companies to consider the emotions of Web users.”
We know that users react at both a conscious and subconscious level to Web pages and there is a lot that goes into making the online experience a pleasurable one for users. And the most important task an advertiser (read: affiliate) has is to make an emotional connection with their audience. So, how does an affiliate make that connection? Here are five simple tools to help affiliates make emotional connections with their customers.
1. The eyes have it
How many times have you left a webpage because a bunch of ‘smileys’ kept blinking on your screen and shouting, “Oh my god!!”? Use colors that create a sense of well-being, security and trustworthiness. The goal on your website is to make users feel welcome and comfortable, not to annoy them into leaving.
While that seems like an obvious goal, I see a LOT of websites that don’t seem to have this concept down. Look at your favorite sites and ask yourself what you love about them. Take note of what you look at first, and what your eyes end up focusing on. Remember that coffee shops aren’t able to sell coffee at three or four bucks a pop because it’s such amazing coffee. They have managed to create an experience.
2. Establish trust
This seems like a whole other topic, but it is at the heart of making the emotional connection with your customers. Without trust, there can be no sale, as, at the very heart of a sale, is the trust factor. How does one go about establishing trust?
For blogging affiliates, this one can be a simple task, so long as it is carried out properly. Using your own personal experiences, or being honest about your experience with a particular item can be a very powerful tool for establishing trust. Don’t be afraid to say that you don’t like something, or would prefer an item to have more functions, etc. Relating your experience in a personal way goes a long way towards making that connection.
If you have credentials, use them. Letting people know that you are an expert in a particular field is a great way to build trust.
Most importantly, don’t be afraid to admit when you are wrong. People relate to honesty, and as we’re all capable of making mistakes, your customers will relate to you.
3. Give the people what the people want
Approximately 3 billion searches are carried out per day on Google alone. If you’re lucky enough to have someone click on a search engine result that directs them to your website, make sure that you are giving that person what they are after. Getting relevant information to the user is such an important part of creating an emotional connection.
4. Be courteous
Keep pages focused on the matter at hand, and don’t allow for too many distractions on your page that keep people from concentrating on what you brought them there to do. Someone looking for an online education program wants to be able to see what they are looking for immediately. If they do not, they tend to grow frustrated and find their way to your competitor’s site as this will be deemed as discourteous by the user.
Think of your website as valuable real estate. And we all know those three most important rules of real estate: Location, location, location! Test your sites to find the best way to make this happen, and don’t stop testing. Keep trying to improve that winning formula!
5. The technology exists – Use it!
We are now blessed with so much great technology that can create positive interactions with customers. From Flash to HTML5 and everything in between, if you are clever enough to create something that your users can interact with and relate to; if you can make them laugh; if you can create the emotional response that you are after through the use of technology, by all means, use it!
Read the original here:
Five Tips for Making Emotional Connections with your Customers
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