Recently, I’ve taken on a few new clients who have no UVP at all. And not surprisingly, they’re having a difficult time creating one. (If it were simple to do, everyone would already have one, right?) So here are a few tools to help you create the best possible UVP:

1. Brainstorm “What do we do best?” – For this exercise I would suggest polling everyone in the company, from customer service, to executives, to HR and account management. You’ll be surprised in the variety of answers you get. If you’re finding that this is even drawing some blanks ask the most basic question: What do we do?

2. Why did you start doing what you’re doing online? Chances are you saw a need in the market and decided to seize the opportunity. Did you think you could do it faster, cheaper, better than your competition?

3. Ask your customers. They’ve already decided that you were the right choice, so ask them, “Why us?” Even better, this can be parlayed into a testimonial–two birds, one stone.

Bonus:  Once you think you’ve got a decent UVP drafted, can you distill it down to a TweetVP under 140 characters?

Still stumped on how to create a great UVP? Look at where you shop online. Ask yourself why you shop with them and how they emphasize that point on their site. Remember you’re both a seller and a consumer.

1. Look Nice – You want to put your best face forward. Your homepage is often the first thing that your visitor sees when they visit your site, so make sure that it is aesthetically pleasing and easy on the eye. Remember, for a vast majority of sites, the homepage has the highest bounce rate.  Give your a visitor a reason not to leave.

2. Make your prospect interested in what you have to offer – In the dating scene, this means opening up and making sure they know something about you that makes them want to learn more.  In website optimization, it means having a top notch Unique Value Proposition (UVP).

3. Remember them – Saving a visitor’s shopping cart for at least 30 days is a helpful tool for reminding visitors that they’re wanted (especially as Holiday shopping ramps up).

4. Don’t give them a reason to leave – The easier it is for your visitor to navigate your site, and the more quickly you can get them through their buying process, the more likely they are to convert.

5. Don’t talk up your best friend – The worst thing you can do is link to a site outside your own and push your visitor in that direction. Tools and references are always helpful, but don’t make them more attractive than the options that push them further though the conversion funnel. If you feel it’s necessary to link to outside domains, use a visual cue (like the common “tear off” icon) to indicate to the visitor that they’ll be leaving your site.

Now go ask for another date, or better yet, get down on one knee

However, after thinking about this tactical move more, and chatting with Bryan Eisenberg about it, I feared that I had just alienated some of my potential networking contacts. My social friends do not solely exist in bars and out at parties, they have careers and contacts too.

So, I’m asking you, the GrokDotCom.com readership – What do you think of Facebook, Myspace, etc. profiles when someone in your professional life incorporates their social life onto their online profile? Is there a happy medium out there? And, what should this social, fun, and professional 22 year-old do about her Facebook accounts? Is it better to separate professional and play online?

1. The crash diet, where you could loose a bunch of weight in a short period of time (and then usually put it right back on, plus some).

2. Or, make a lifestyle change and commitment to eating healthy and getting physical exercise, which will cause the weight to come off more slowly but at a commitment level that you can maintain.

Online Optimization is very similar in the approaches that are presented. Do you see where I’m going with this?

1. You could do a crash project (or redesign) where you commit a lot of time, energy, money, and resources to optimization. Most of you could realistically expect to see a conversion lift of 30-50% over a four-month time frame.

2. Or, you could commit just 10-hours a month, utilize the resources you already have available to you, and spend far less money, less effort, less disruption and conservatively see a 3-5% lift per month making regular improvements.

The Compounding Effects of Continuous Improvement

Let’s compare the more conservative estimates. In the first example you get a conservative 30% lift, in the second you don’t get a 3% per month lift. The first sounds more impressive until you do the math and find that 3% a month is better than a 42.5% annual lift (and it gets even better). If you improve 3% per month you are improving on the effort of the previous month as well. In addition we have found that the regular improvements become your company’s lifestyle.  You get into that habit and then you become more fit and your improvements become easier and more productive.

I recommend you get into the habit of continually improving your conversion rates.

Of course, you can do better than those examples. Many of our clients have done much better.

FutureNow has made it easy to create and maintain healthy habits.  Our OnTarget software monitors the visitors that come to your website and provides you with recommendations you can implement to improve your conversion rates. You won’t get lots of data or reports, just tasks based on the resources you tell us you have available within the time you tell us you can devote.

I’d like to wish you a happy and healthy new year. I’d also like to recommend that you look into OnTarget so your new year can be more prosperous too.

P.S. Don’t forget to register for our free Webinar with guest Jim Sterne: 2009 is Our Year to Shine.

1. When did you first begin to notice this drop/plateau in your conversion rate?

2. What have you done to try and fix/improve your conversion rate?

And, 9 times out of 10 the responses I hear are along the lines of “I began to notice a drop at the end of the summer. And, I haven’t really done anything yet to change my situation.”

Folks, end of the summer? That was 3 months ago! An entire quarter of the year has passed by! Wake up! The conversion fairy is not going to drop down and suddenly improve your current situation because you’ve been patient these past 3 months. You need to be proactive (or now more like reactive).

For example, in one quarter one lead generation client increased overall conversion rate by 33.80% with a single Unique Value Proposition test, another increased overall conversion rate by 51.49% and another retailer increased overall website sales conversion rate from 3% to 7%, that is 133%.

The good news for you is that it’s never too late. There are services like FutureNow, who you can hire to help increase your sales or your leads. Or, if you don’t have the budget (and we offer services for as little as $1000 a month), and if you’re willing to do the legwork, many books, free webinars, and online resources are  available to help you.

Here’s a list of a few resources to help you begin increasing your conversion rate and optimizing your website today:

1. FutureNow’s books Always Be Testing: The Complete Guide to Google Website Optimizer,  Call to Action and Waiting For Your Cat to Bark.

2. Ebooks including: Converting the Believers ($19) and Improve Your Website for Free.

3. The Wizard Academy’s courses for writing persuasively online.

4. ROI Revolution’s training courses on topics like “Google Analytics User Training Videos.”

5. FutureNow’s “Always Be Testing” Marketing Optimization Webinar Series where your get tips and guidance from experts like Bryan Eisenberg and Google’s Tom Leung about how to effectively use this FREE tool. (and the Webinars are FREE too!)

So, stop waiting on the conversion fairy and begin optimizing today!

(And, as always, if your interested in how FutureNow can help you optimize your site email me at natalieh ( at ) futurenowinc.com or call me directly at 718-560-3318).

Most of the time, first time visitors are the largest underperforming segment of your traffic, representing on average 60 to 80 percent of all visitors, with a conversion rate significantly lower than site average. Judging by typical traffic generation spends, they’re also the most expensive type of visitor on your site. So making your site the first time visitor friend versus foe needs to be a top priority. To learn some key steps to better converting first time visitors, join special guest Bryan Eisenberg, from FutureNow and Sitebrand’s Carolyn Gardner on Thursday, October 30 2pm EST, as they share ideas around the importance and impact of:

1. Using data to build an understanding and framework for first-time visitors, aka personas.
2. Building the messaging required to grow the engagement and the sales of first-time visitor segments / personas.
3. Mapping the real estate on your site toward your messaging.
4. Launching your cycle, watching results, and planning for re-optimization.

Register for this special 29 minute webinar today.

The first opportunity to see it is at the Direct Marketing Association’s Flagship Event, DMA08 Conference & exhibition – being held October 11 – 16 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas.

There is even a $150 discount to pass on to you to use for Conference Only registration and higher level registration packages. (Sorry, but the discount cannot be used for Pre/Post-Conference Only sessions, Exhibit Hall Only or Daily Passes).

To register for the conference, visit www.dma08.org. Please use discount code AN302 so you can get your $150 discount.

The second opportunity to see it in NYC on October 14th at the Search Engine Strategies 2008 Training. Sorry, no coupons at this time, but you can register here.

Children as young as 8 years-old are not just using the internet to chat with their friends on AIM or email grandma – they’re shopping online. According to the study:

“Four out of 10 responding young consumers said they used search to learn about products or services after seeing ads. Many said they used search engines to find places to buy, check prices or start researching purchases from scratch.”

What might be even more surprising is what they are looking at and the persuasive power they hold. Furniture, electronics, vacations and vehicles are just a few of the big ticket items that, according to Harris Interactive’s 2007 “Youth Pulse” report, 8-12 year-olds and 14-21 year olds are actually decision makers for large family purchase. This is one of the key dynamics that you must understand when you look at sales complexity and consensus.

However, this is not to say that in order to appeal to children, you must “dumb down” your website or overrun it with childish characteristics. But do consider these younger age-groups when deciding where to use your site’s advertising and marketing budget.

My favorite quote comes from his recent mention in the CNNMoney.com article,  where he offers some tips on how to turn your site’s visitors into customers.

“Think of traffic like water pouring into a bucket,” says Bryan Eisenberg, executive vice president of Web marketing firm Future Now in New York City. “No matter how much water there is, it’s not going to stay if the bucket has holes. Pay attention to the balancing act of ranking well in search engines and getting sales out of those who make it there.”

He has been so busy answering questions for others we wanted to make sure he was answering yours. What questions do you have for Bryan? Please comment below or feel free to call us at 877-643-7244.

P.S. The Free Website Reviews – you probably noticed in a couple of those interviews Bryan mentioned a great resource for inexpensive usability tests of your website. Well Darrel and Dave the founders were kind to offer the first 100 GrokDotCom readers who go to http://www.usertesting.com/promo and enter futurenow in the Promo Code box will receive one free usability test (limit 1 per customer).

My favorite feature of this tool is how it breaks down by percentage how much of each genders’ browsing habits you exhibit, and correlates them to the results you receive. I cleared my browsing history and visited, what I though to be, a range of sites. Here are my results:

Likelihood of you being FEMALE is 54%
Likelihood of you being MALE is 46%

Click here to find your own. How accurate is it with you?

1. It’s in a contrasting color (I know on our last conversation red was discussed and is used here, but if your site’s overall color-scheme is red it will not be effective at catching your customer’s attention).

2. It’s located in a place that the customer is already looking. By placing the error message where your customers last click was, there is a great chance that it will get noticed if everything else remains the same.

3. It’s outlined. By boxing-in the error message it acts as a magnifying glass, drawing attention further to the message.

4. It calls for an action. Nothing is worse than an error message that says “error” with no instruction on how to remedy the problem. You want the customer to continue on through your site, make this error moment as easy to pass as possible.

Remember: It doesn’t matter how explicit, creative or beautifully written your message is.  If no one is reading it, it might as well not exist.

Ever get frustrated that they didn’t utilize the wish list tool? Your online shoppers may be falling into the “add and abandon” method of online shopping.

There are 3 core reasons people don’t utilize your wish list.

1.    Sites often require you to fill out loads of personal information prior to even creating the list.

Recently on shopbop.com I found an amazing pair of shoes, and rather than behaving in my traditional add and abandon method, I chose to create a wish list. Upon entering the link, I was overwhelmed by the personal information that I had to fill out.  An array of blank fields loomed in front of me, awaiting for me divulge all the information that categorizes me as an individual in the online realm.

Gathering information from your customer is great, but make sure they see the mutual value in entering their personal information. Rather than overwhelming you customer with questions simply allow them to create a list, in the same format as the “add to cart” list.

After they add their items ask them if they’d like to save their wish list by registering to save it for another visit. During this stage it is ok to ask for your customers information or create a login with password, but not before. With a call to action such as “register” or “join” there is an implied sense that personal information will be required. It prepares your customer for what is coming.

The call to action of “create a wish list” does not imply the same expectations and when presented with a page such as this, it can appear that you’ve presented something they didn’t ask for.

2.    There’s no add to cart option

Another feature of the wish list that is frustrating is that seldom is there an offer to transfer your wish list directly to your shopping cart. Some sites will offer an link from the item in the wish list that goes back to the product page where the item can then be added to their cart, but a one click process that can transfer either a few or all of the items from the wish list to the cart will help get your customer to the checkout sooner.

In other words, wish lists can act as a dead-end if you don’t create an opportunity for them to purchase. Allowing them to take action from this page is a win-win, they get an easier checkout process and you get them to spend money. Boom!

3.    You don’t get a running total

Wish lists often appear as a list of the products. Some offer pictures of the products but seldom do they include all the tax and shipping costs that might be associated with the order. Often people want a running total of their desired purchases, especially if they are operating within a budget.

Wish lists are a great tool for both you and your shoppers; just make sure yours is easy to use and appealing.

For every site you visit there are certain expectations that you bring with you. Because of these expectations, shopping carts should be as simple and straight forward as possible. You’ve already convinced your customer to buy so don’t deter them at the last moment. Instead, fulfill their expectations.

Recently our Conversion Analyst team came across this shopping cart:

Despite the fact that the error was in bolded lettering, it stumped several people when they came to the point of checking out and forking over their money. Many of us immediately clicked the “Update Total” button only to return back to this screen. Others tried valiantly to find this illusive “Proceed to Checkout” button mentioned at the top of the page, but to no avail. The problem was I had not entered in the minimum number of bottles of wine into my cart, but rather than focusing on the message that was in plain English in front of me, I, and the rest of the team (all smart folks), focused upon the lack of a call of action button.

Bottom line: Visitor expectations were not met. Give your customers what they want, even if it’s “wrong.” If the “Proceed to Checkout” button was made available, perhaps, I would not have spent more time reading the error message rather than searching for something that I was prepared to buy.