6 minute read
How to
by OPI
The PERFECTSpecial IssueOrbit Media’s Andy Crestodina analyses the anatomy of a B2B service page. It’s not rocket science, but a long hard look at your TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS site can be quite the eye opener
Special Issue TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS
You are a B2B brand selling a product or service. You sell to Special Issuecompanies, not consumers and yours is a premium service, meaning you are not – and nor are you striving to be – the lowest cost operator in the market. VENDOR SPECIAL Often, several people are involved in the sales process and decision-making can take weeks. Does this describe you? If so and if you Special Issuehave a web presence – which obviously you should in some capacity – it’s critical to have a marketing and service website that is driving demand through clarity and trust, content and VENDOR SPECIAL design. Are there missed opportunities? Is anything unclear and could changes make it a better experience?
THE DOS AND THE DON’TS
Take a look at this ten-point guide and review the service you provide against the checklist – whether you’re starting from scratch or are simply planning a redesign.
1. Short and descriptive headline
Those few words at the top of the page should pass the ‘backyard BBQ test’. Imagine you meet someone for the first time at a party. The person asks what you do. You respond with the words at the top of your service page. Does that new acquaintance now know what you do? Or is there confusion? Examples of this confusion could be: “We take excellence to new levels.” Or: “Transforming experiences one brand at a time”. What about “Capture opportunities. Driving ROI”? None of these pass the test because they don’t in any way describe a service.www.opi.net
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If the header isn’t descriptive, visitors will have to scroll, scan and keep reading to learn what your company offers. Every visit to your page starts with the question: “Am I in the right place?” It’s the header’s job to answer.
2. Quick visual credibility
Often, the next step is to differentiate the brand from competitors. This can be done quickly and visually with logos near the top of the page. Logos of clients, awards, partnerships and certifications – these so-called ‘trust seals’ build trust instantly. They also provide a bit of differentiation. Not every competitor can put these on their pages.
3. Meaningful subheads
Subheads keep visitors flowing through the content. They tell the potentially interested parties what’s in each section, so they can decide if they want to slow down and read deeper. When the subheads are meaningful, they’re more likely to read the section.
Specificity is good for visitors. It’s also good for search engines.
4. Answers to top sales questions
Imagine the phone rings. It’s a prospect who is calling to talk about your service. What is the likely cause of people calling you; what questions would they ask? What are they worried about and hoping for? How would you answer them?
The best service pages emulate this sales conversation. It answers questions, addresses objections and gives examples. The more educated visitors are, the more likely they are to become a lead.
Andy Crestodina is co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Orbit Media, a US-based company dedicated to web design and development. Crestodina’s remit – in a nutshell – is to help organisations do a better job getting results online. Recently, at the OPI Global Forum in Chicago, he gave a critique of our industry’s internet presence, taking a close look at the websites of some well-known operators in our sector (see Focus, OPI July/August 2022, page 24).
5. Short paragraphs and plenty of formatting
Subheads help, but visitors will still struggle if you use dense, blocky paragraphs. Long paragraphs get scanned, short ones get read. As a general rule, make sure paragraphs are no longer than three lines.
Break them up. Add white space and mix in some other formatting to make your sales copy easy to scan. It could be bullets and numbered lists, bold and italics, internal links, simple words or a few images.
6. Testimonials and social proof
A lawyer wouldn’t go to trial without witnesses. Web designers shouldn’t go live without testimonials. Every one of your messages has a messenger and the best messengers are your customers. When they say it, the words transform regular marketing into social proof.
Social proof shows that others have chosen your brand, making the choice feel safer. And the wording in testimonials is often more forthright than anything that you could have written yourself.
Testimonials can answer questions and address objections. They also have their own little headlines. Does your current page include evidence that you’re legitimate? Or is it just a pile of unsupported marketing claims?
7. People faces
Faces are magnetic. We are all hard-wired to look at faces. As such, pictures of people instantly make a service page more compelling. And when those pictures are real people at the business, they lend legitimacy. They create a human connection.
If you don’t show your team, you miss another chance to differentiate. Your people are your difference. You’re the only company with your team. Small companies always try to look larger while big entities aim to look smaller. In reality, every company should just try to be more human.
8. Data and statistics
If testimonials are a challenge, there are other ways to add evidence. Data about your business or the value of your services can help nudge the visitor towards conversion.
Beyond industry or company-specific stats, you can add years in business, number of clients and typical ROI. When given a bit of design love, these numbers can jump off the page and set you apart from competitors. Statistics appeal to the desire of all visitors to make rational decisions based on data.
9. Depth and detail
A great sales call can take a while. The prospect has quite a few questions and the salesperson’s answers are detailed and thorough. A great sales page is no different. It takes time to cover each topic, often using 800 to 1,000 words. A short page is like a sales rep hanging up the phone before the conversation is finished.
The goal of the writer of this page is to make it complete, answering every question and thereby addressing every potential objection.
10. Compelling call to action
Sales pages often stop right before the finish line. Rather than offering a call to action, suggesting the visitor gets in touch, the page just dead-ends.
To avoid this, add at least one of these calls, near the bottom, towards the end of the sales conversation. Next, look closely at the verbs. Does it just say “contact” or is it something more compelling? Verbs such as “read”, “learn” and “click” aren’t much better. Your buttons and links can work harder for you.
A great call to action triggers demand. It is relevant to the page. It’s personal, warm and inviting. It’s a gentle nudge. And it makes all the difference.
PROVIDING ANSWERS
In summary, the perfect B2B service page should stand happily on its own and it’s very much worth spending time and effort on. It aims to accomplish what any top sales rep would do: answer questions, offer examples and, finally, ask for the customer’s business.
