Don’t skip the foreplay if you want to get a conversion
We should imagine the online world just like the dating world — you want to appeal to someone (yes, you need to convince them that you are the right/best choice in an environment full of competitors). Yet there are websites that make “the first move” just way too quick. You’ve basically just met and they will already ask for a conversion (or a kiss in that metaphor).
Let me show you 2 examples that illustrate what I mean by moving too quick:
Disclaimer: The following examples don’t mean that the pages are bad or that I wouldn’t like the companies. These are all successful companies and my feedback is given with the most respect and a bit of humor.
Example 1— HelloFresh:
HelloFresh is a service that delivers boxes containing ingredients for meals that you then cook by using a step by step recipe — convenient for people who wonder what to eat on a daily basis (hey wouldn’t that be a good unique selling point?).
Now HelloFresh`s website makes me understand what their product/service is but they don’t show what they have in stock. Fully intrigued I will want to see what meals they have on the menu for next week but if I click the main call-to-action I will land in a checkout — a checkout!
In shock I will try using the browser back button, that must have been a misclick. I will click again, determined to see these appetizing dishes I can choose from. Then the resignation kicks in — the checkout comes first. This is not what I expected and I will leave frustrated.
So you are telling me I have to sign up and pay before I even get to see what meals you offer? What if I don’t like the selection? Don’t hide your unique selling points behind a paywall. After all HelloFresh is not a super exclusive club with secret deals that only members are allowed to see, your meals are what will attract people.
Example 2— Netflix:
Even Netflix will give only little information on what they have in stock but it is kind of communicated →a visual is showing me some of the popular movies and shows and the headline talks about “unlimited” choices.
It is the same story here — as a customer I’m put into the wrong context. I don’t want to sign up and pay before anything else. I want to see their inventory!
Now you could argue Netflix is known well enough that they don’t need to show everything they have and you are not wrong. However, the page was pretty much the same years ago when Netflix had just started. This raises the question: how many more people would have signed up in Netflix’s early stages if they had known if their desired movie or show was available?
Conclusion
If you seem needy and pushy as a company you will scare users away. So be nice, let them get to know you and be sincere with them. Understand their context and why they came to your website. Once you can properly address that and make your potential customers feel comfortable, you can move to the next step. The jobs to be done framework can help you identifying these contexts better (what does the user want when he/she comes to your page).
