First Impressions Matter: Simplify Everything Online for a Seamless Customer Experience
Is your landing page giving people the blink reaction you wish it was?
First impressions often begin these days in the digital, online world. Decisions are made with the blink of an eye. For wellness businesses, your website truly serves as the front door to your business, and making a stellar first impression can mean the difference between genuine connection with a new customer or sadly never meeting them at all. By optimizing your digital storefront with intentional design, functionality, and content, you can create an inviting and seamless experience that captivates visitors from the moment they land on your business. In this post, lets explore my favorite strategies to enhance your virtual storefront, ensuring it not only attracts but also retains customers, setting the stage for lasting relationships and business growth.
Landing Page New Client Offer
Lets help new customers connect with your life enhancing services as quickly as possible
First things first. When someone comes to your website for the first time, are they seeing something immediately - within those first 3-5 seconds - that makes them feel…
Connected & Inspired? Think of images and/or video that show people moving together in your studio or space. Think of real life people smiling in full classes. It’s ok to start with stock photography, but it’s essential to get and share good images that capture your vibe and customers right on that landing page.
Intro Offer! Have an offer just for new customers that is visible right when they land on your website. Oftentimes I can eventually find an introductory offer somewhere on a studios website, but I want to find it first and foremost, without having to scroll or hunt around for it in addition to the other places it might need to exist.
Blink Reaction Homeplay: A great way to see if this is as good as it could be, is to have someone removed from your business secret santa shop your business website. Bonus points if you can find someone to do this who doesn’t know anything about you or your business. If you comment on this post - I will do this for you! Ask someone to go to your website for 3-5 seconds and then shut the computer / take the phone away. Ask what they saw. Ask them to share anything they saw or felt. Did they feel the vibe you are trying to create? Did they like anything? What didn’t they like? Most important to me, did they see the intro offer or pricing option that is available and irresistible, just for new clients? Did they notice it and mention it? Or did they notice it only after you pointed it out? I LOVE an intro offer call out either on the top of the home page, and/or immediately available in the slider or main image area of the home page.
Remember, the overall purpose of a landing page (also referred to as a sales page) is simple: eliminate distractions so the reader can take action. A landing page has one—and only one!—goal. Your page is focused on the one offer at hand so the reader can also focus on that one thing. Too often we try to share too much detail out of the gates and this is distracting for prospective customers. For more landing page inspiration, check out this comprehensive guide, How to Design a Landing Page That Makes an Impact, from my friend Connie Holen over at Pixality Design. Connie and her team are in the business of making your website great and she has written tons of great articles to help you better connect with prospective customers.
Website Get Started Page
Give new customers all the details to make them feel seen and understood
Have a page that’s just for new clients. It could be called “New to Us” or “Get Started” or something similar.
Highlight at least 3 of your customers favorite features and benefits of your studio. Check out my article on Value Proposition for prompts on the value your business provides the benefits your customers are seeking if needed. Oftentimes it’s to get stronger, more flexible, more fit, more grounded.
Have buttons for people to buy the intro offer and sign up for sessions.
Highlight any features or offerings you have that make you unique.
Highlight any special, new customer focused offerings like workshops or 1:1s. Equipment based pilates studios usually offer this type of thing.
Include FAQs and/or how to best prepare. For example, hot yoga might remind customers about water and towels, pilates about grippy socks, and barre fitness about equipment.
Digital New Customer Sign Up Audit
It's time to get your tech support hat on and audit your new customer experience
Make sure it is easy and smooth for brand new customers to sign up for sessions at your business digitally. This is often available to be done a variety of ways these days, such as through your business management software, apps and your website, all of which should be tested thoroughly. Roll up your sleeves, it’s time to get your quality assurance cap on and make sure your business shines even beneath the surface. Make sure every step of this process is smooth and clear. You might need to clean up your website and software systems to only show what is most relevant for new customers and maybe you can hide some digital clutter. Any need-to-knows about the sign up process and what to expect during the first visit can be added to Get Started / New To Us Page (see above).
Pretend to be a new customer and use a test or old email address and or cell phone and go through the entire sign up process in the following ways:
Your website on an actual computer.
Your website on a mobile smart phone (bonus to test more than the iphone!).
Through your biz management software app on smart phone.
Through your biz management software system on a computer.
If you have a branded, stand alone app, test that too. Also test the links to this from your website. Help new clients find the app. It doesn’t have to be only for existing clients.
After you are done testing delete or deactivate your test customer profile and delete your email address and phone number from the profile. If you ran any transactions void or cancel them.
Word of caution: Don’t hate on those who don’t love technology by ignoring it. We have amazing technology that is constantly making our work lives easier. Yet, this doesn’t mean that every prospective customer will figure out how to sign up with you online, nor that they want to. You should make sure that people can still sign up in some old fashioned ways too and be careful not to subtly shame people for choosing this option. Don’t laugh, I see it all the time, especially at my barre classes that are full of women in their 50s & 60s. I don’t know about you, but I want the studios I’m part of to be multi-generational, full of people older than me who might not love technology but are strong, inspiring, and wise beyond their years, and those younger than me that are also strong and inspiring, but want to sign up via tik tok (is this possible yet? Probably).
Lean on your business management software: Your biz management software often has the following available for you to use to make this process better.
Widgets to help nest the sign up process into your website more seamlessly.
Apps to enable easy purchasing and sign ups.
Another PSA: You still need to ensure your software is setup well enough to ensure those features work well.
A note about branded apps: I love a branded app for ensuring your existing customers digital experience is a good one. For the purpose of this post though, I think most studios would be better served dialing in all new customer sign up processes, in house and online, before going this route.
Bonus options: Can you use a client facing tablet at your front desk? Can your students sign themselves into your app as they show up? Whose job is it to audit who is in class and who is in your software? All of these little details matter and make things easier and more positive for your customers and therefore your team.