Suze Bragg

9 ideas to offer your online audience

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One effective way to keep people on your web site is to offer them something for free. On Hancock Fabric's web site, they offer projects that can take 30 minutes or an hour or more. Lowes offers interactive tools for designing a room, figuring how many cans of paint are needed for a project, etc. Plus they offer how-to guides to get the creative juices flowing. Both companies host clinics and classes to help beginners use their products. Other companies use games, interactive advice / message boards, and presentations to capture their audience. [Nickelodeon / Nick.com hosts free games to keep kids engaged.]

What can you do? Depending on your type of store, here are 9 ideas:

1. offer advice on a message board
2. downloadable templates for designing a room
3. jewelry checklist
4. clothing tips
5. service guidelines (free accounting tools, partnering with a larger company, etc.)
6. games
7. quizzes
8. hints and tips
9. videos / podcasts

No matter what you offer your web audience, keep it updated as often as possible. Making your web site "sticky" is the same as making your showroom / store engaging. The happier people are when they arrive, the more likely they are to stay and shop.

Posted by Suze Bragg on September 25, 2008 | Comments (0)