If the main purpose of your blog or website is to increase sales then you should make it easy for people to contact you. Are you?Too many people hide their contact information on their site. If a prospect has to search for a way to reach you, they may just move on to someone else.
At the very least, you need to have a way for people to email you. You can do this one of two ways: have a link that opens an email window or you can have a form. Many people prefer a form because it cuts down on the spam you receive.
The problem with forms is not everyone likes them. I personally hate them – and I really need to want to contact the website owner in order for me to bother with one. Before deciding to put a form on your site, you need to consider whether your prospects will use the form and how many will be turned away to look elsewhere for information.
There are other types of contact information you need to consider: phone, snail mail address, and social media sites. If you have a business, why not post your business phone? You want to make it as easy as possible.
A lot of people seem to be leaving out a snail mail address from not only their website but even their business cards. This can be annoying if you are doing business with someone and can’t find their mailing address – what if you want to send a cheque? I understand if your business address and home address are one and the same you may be worried about security, but you need to consider whether people will need to send you items by mail.
Commonly people have their contact information on their About page or a Contact page. But don’t be stingy. Look at your site and see if there are places where people might make a decision to contact you. Make sure they can without having to click to another page – a media page or a product page might be good places to add contact information.
You’ll notice on the left side of my blog I have a link to my LinkedIn profile. As the use of social media sites becomes more mainstream for business, having links to you on these sites is essential. I have had more than one business opportunity arise because someone came across my site and then decided to check me out on LinkedIn.
Finally, consider if your name is readily visible on your site. I’ve seen more than one website or blog with a sole practitioner using a business name where they don’t have their personal name posted anywhere. People like to connect and do business with people, so even if you’re using a business name, your prospects need to know your name.
I have my name plastered all over my blog – in the masthead, and the end of every post, on the About page and Media Room pages. This does two things. First, no one ever has to search to discover who writes The Baby Boomer Entrepreneur. Second, if someone is trying to find me and Googles my name, odds are they’re going to find lots of references to my blog.
The easier you make it for prospects to contact you, the more likely it is that they will rather than moving on to someone else.
Andrea J. Stenberg
