Ever land on a web site and jump back because you were startled by sheer horror of what you were seeing?  I have. Here are 6 examples off the top of my head – continue with caution! 🙂

1. Flimsy, Limp Handshake – this person has no confidence. They are so worried about “what if” they miss opportunities.   #FAIL.
2. Obnoxious Salesman – Pop-ups, flashing text, lots of bold graphics. #FAIL
3. The Programmer/Techno Snob – usually has mystery meat navigation, information is hard to find and scarce. #FAIL
4. Ultra ADHD – Too many choices, and so much junk that you get a headache trying to find what you want. #FAIL
5. Simple and Shy – extremely plain.  No call to action, or visually appealing anything to get you revved up about what they have to offer. #FAIL
6. The Wannabe – copies what other marketers are doing without understanding WHY they do it. They just want to make a fast buck.  #FAIL

Anyone can create a blog/website.  Over 20k are created every day.  Doesn’t mean they should though.

Let me ask you… what are all 6 flawed marketers missing?

ENGAGING with their prospects.  Be where your customers are.

To be engaging means…

Always being LIKE-ABLE.
Do you know someone that everybody likes? Pleasant with an attractive personality. Is that person humble? A servant to others with a joyful attitude of giving?   Is this you?

Always be TRUSTWORTHY.
Do what you say you’re going to do.  Be in integrity.  Think of businesses that are trustworthy… Amazon, Zappos, Apple.  Companies that have the distinct reputation for extraordinary customer service and satisfaction.  Have you done what you say you’re going to do?

Always be ANSWERING.
Answering questions, responding to inquiries, offering solutions.  Be fast and frequent.  Typically 24 hours is a respectable turn around time.  How can you set up a system to always be prompt?

Always be THANKING…
…people for their RT’s (re-tweets), comments, or sharing your material.  Stay in a state of Gratitude.

Always be LINKING.
Linking your content to your social media accounts, like twitter.  Twitter makes it easy for your peeps to RT or re-tweet your link to expand your reach.  And, think of others! When they RT, their @twitterhandle  is tweeted too, so don’t use all 140 characters.  Save at least 20 characters for the re-tweeter’s handle to show up on your tweet too.

Always take PHOTOGRAPHS.
Facebook is the worlds largest website and what do most people spend time doing? Looking at pictures! So always take photos of events and opportunities – a cell phone camera is fine.

This is totally up to you! You can engage your prospects, build relationships and create evangelists for your business or not.  Or, you can continue to do the 6 Flaws and “interruption marketing” to piss your prospect off.  Whatever you do, just make sure you’re in alignment with your visitors GOALS.  Help them solve their problem quickly and painlessly as possible. Your website isn’t about you, it’s about THEM

Now It’s YOUR Turn! What are your thoughts? Post below, I’d love to know what you think!