Many human instincts hinge on one phrase that we have probably all used and have certainly all heard – “What’s in it for me?”. This question is a powerful convincer. So many people are reluctant to do something unless they know it will be somehow rewarded. Indeed, most business training in this day and age for sales or customer service professionals is built around convincing the customer that there is a reason for them to do something – that they will benefit directly from doing it.
One of the major ways to attract people to a website is something that might be considered a “secondary layer”. That is to say, you are already promoting your site by requesting that people visit it. Conscious of the fact that people might not want to do something just because you say so, you may benefit from adding a reason for them to want to. This can be something as simple as offering a free ebook to everyone who fills in a form.
The importance of working to satisfy people’s instincts is a factor that is often overlooked. Of course you want people to be visiting your site on its merits but there is no harm whatsoever, and a lot of common sense, in backing this up with an appeal to their personal interest. Countless people have taken a decision to cash in a freebie and have stayed on board when they realized that they liked the product on its own merits. Playing the percentages – in this case, giving people more and more reasons to say “yes” – is sound business.
