Let’s be honest. People are busy.
They’re tackling work, family, appointments, errands and approximately 47 things on their to-do lists. The last thing they want is to spend 20 minutes figuring out how to contact your business.
Yet we see it all the time.
A website that makes you hunt for a phone number. A social media page that doesn’t explain what the business really does. A contact form that asks for your life story. A business that says “Contact us today!” but doesn’t make it clear how.
And here’s the thing: You could be the absolute best at what you do, but if people have to work too hard to do business with you, they may simply move on.
After more than 14 years of helping businesses, nonprofits and organizations throughout Northern Nevada with their marketing, we’ve recognized that sometimes the biggest opportunity isn’t reaching more people.
It’s making it easier for the people who are already interested to take the next step.
Let’s talk about how.
Can People Figure Out What You Do in Five Seconds?
Q: Isn’t it obvious what our business does?
A: Maybe to you. But you’re not your customer.
When you work in your business every day, it’s easy to forget that potential customers don’t know everything you know.
They may not understand your industry terminology, recognize your services, or know which offering is right for them.
That’s why clear messaging matters.
When someone lands on your website, visits your social media profile or picks up your brochure, they should quickly understand three things:
- What you do.
- Who you help.
- How to get started.
You don’t need complicated language or a clever tagline that needs explaining.
What to fix first: Ask someone unfamiliar with your business to look at your website or social media profile for five seconds. Then ask them to explain what you do. If they can’t, your messaging may need some work.
Are You Making People Hunt for Information?
Q: Don’t people expect to spend some time researching a business?
Of course. But researching a business is different from going on a scavenger hunt.
Imagine you’re looking for a local service provider.
You visit their website to find their phone number.
It’s not on the homepage.
You click through three pages.
Still nothing.
You finally find a contact form that asks for your name, email, phone number, company name, job title, project budget, and a detailed explanation of what you need.
All you wanted to know was whether they offer appointments on Fridays.
At some point, you might decide it’s easier to call someone else.
Your customers shouldn’t have to work that hard.
Make the information people need easy to find, whether that’s your services, hours, location, pricing information when appropriate or contact details.
What to fix first: Pretend you’re a new customer visiting your website for the first time. Try to find the information someone would need before contacting you. How many clicks does it take?
Are You Giving People an Obvious Next Step?
Q: Isn’t having a “Contact Us” page enough?
Not always.
People are more likely to take action when they understand what they’re being asked to do and what happens next.
“Learn More” can be useful, but learn more about what?
“Get Started” sounds great, but what does getting started involve?
Does someone need to schedule a consultation? Request an estimate? Register for an event? Make a donation? Call your office?
Be specific.
If you offer a free consultation, say so.
If you want people to request a quote, make that easy.
If you’re promoting an event, give them a direct registration link instead of sending them to your homepage and hoping they figure it out.
And don’t forget to explain what happens after someone takes that step.
Will someone call them? Will they receive an email? How long should they expect to wait?
Removing uncertainty can make people more comfortable reaching out.
What to fix first: Look at your most important marketing materials. Is there one particular action you want people to take? Is that action easy to complete?
Are You Answering Questions Before Customers Have to Ask?
Q: How much information should we share before someone contacts us?
Enough to help them feel confident taking the next step.
Think about the questions your team answers every day.
- How does your process work?
- What areas do you serve?
- How long does a typical project take?
- What should someone expect during their first appointment?
- What makes your services different?
These are all opportunities to create helpful marketing content.
A frequently asked questions section, informative blog, educational social media post or simple explainer video can answer questions before someone even picks up the phone.
When people understand what to expect, they’re often more comfortable contacting.
This doesn’t mean you have to give away every detail of your process or publish information that varies from customer to customer. It means recognizing that helpful information builds confidence.
What to fix first: Ask your team what five questions they answer most often. Then make sure those answers are easy to find somewhere in your marketing.
Does Your Marketing Match the Customer Experience?
Q: What happens if our marketing looks great, but the customer experience doesn’t?
That’s where things get interesting.
Your marketing may promise friendly, responsive service.
But what happens when someone calls?
- Does the phone get answered?
- Does someone respond to their email?
- Does the person they speak with seem interested in helping them?
- Does your team follow through?
Your marketing creates expectations. Your customer experience determines whether you meet those expectations.
And people notice when the two don’t match.
If your website says you’re easy to work with, but scheduling an appointment requires six emails and three phone calls, that message starts to lose credibility.
The good news is that the opposite is also true.
When your marketing and customer experience align, they reinforce each other.
People feel more confident that they made the right choice.
And they’re more likely to recommend you to someone else.
What to fix first: Walk through your customer experience from the first question to the first appointment, purchase or service. Look for unnecessary steps, confusing instructions or gaps in communication.
Are You Forming Assumptions About What Customers Want?
Q: How do we know what’s frustrating our customers?
Ask them!
Sometimes businesses spend so much time analyzing their marketing that they forget one of the most valuable sources of information is right in front of them.
Your customers.
Ask new customers whether they found the information they needed.
Pay attention to the questions people ask before they buy.
Notice whether your team repeatedly has to explain something that should be clear on your website.
Look at your website analytics to see where people leave or which pages get attention.
Review feedback and customer comments.
You may discover that something you thought was perfectly clear is actually creating confusion.
And sometimes the solution is surprisingly simple.
- A clearer headline.
- A more visible phone number.
- A shorter form.
- A better explanation of your services.
- A direct link instead of three extra clicks.
Small improvements can make a big difference.
What to fix first: Identify one point in your customer journey where people seem to hesitate, get confused, or stop responding. Start there.
Do You Really Need More Marketing, or Do You Need to Make Your Current Marketing Work Better?
Here’s a question we think more businesses should ask.
Before you spend more money on advertising, increase your social media posting or launch another campaign, take a look at what happens when someone responds to the marketing you’re already doing.
Are you making it easy for them to become a customer?
Because generating more interest doesn’t automatically generate more business.
If people click your ads but can’t figure out how to contact you, more advertising may not solve the problem.
If people visit your website but can’t understand your services, more website traffic may not help.
If customers are interested but don’t know what to do next, posting more often may not be the answer.
Sometimes the most effective marketing improvement isn’t a new campaign.
It’s removing the obstacles that are already standing in your customers’ way.
When It Might Be Time for Outside Help
Sometimes businesses are so close to their own marketing that it’s hard to see what might confuse someone else.
You know your services. You know your process. You know exactly where everything is on your website.
But your potential customers don’t.
At In Plain Sight Marketing, we help businesses and organizations throughout Northern Nevada look at their marketing from the customer’s perspective.
Sometimes that means improving messaging or simplifying a website.
Sometimes it means creating more helpful content, strengthening calls to action or identifying gaps between marketing and the customer experience.
Sometimes it entails recognizing that you don’t necessarily need to do more marketing. You need to make the marketing you’re already doing work harder.
If you’re wondering whether your business is making it easy for customers to choose you, schedule a free 15-minute strategy call with Renee.
We’ll take a look at what’s working, where people might be getting stuck and how to make the next step a little easier.