The essential guide to creating a sticky site

Page 2 of 2:

Online v offline

In Advertising Now Online, Jan Leth of Ogilvy Interactive describes the value of the online space as the ability to create "opportunities for dialogue rather than a broadcast model".

Interactive advertising is exactly what it says: a two-way street. Unlike older media, the web allows for instant response; a user can input information and influence a result, and a system can output real-time, context-relevant content. As Leth says: "The sensibility has changed the end result from a monologue to a dialogue. There is a clear sense of a value exchange. Give me something of value, whether it's entertainment, information or utility, and I'll pay attention."

Article continues below

Liz Danzico, the chair for the MFA in Interaction Design program at the School of Visual Arts, shares a valuable offline experience. "About six years ago, when Fresh Direct was new and still expanding, they sent fruit-, vegetable-, and meat-costumed individuals into neighbourhoods they weren't yet delivering to. They stationed these representatives at subway entries, and took zip codes and email addresses of locals who were interested in using their service. Not only was Fresh Direct already developing a notable reputation among my trusted network using the service, but they were creating deeper respect by making the trip – offline – to my own neighbourhood. Months later, when they started offering delivery service to my neighbourhood, I received a friendly email (with a coupon), and placed an order immediately."

That interchange is the nucleus of social networking. Entrepreneur Alex Hillman sees it as "a two-way megaphone. If all you're doing is using them to broadcast, you're missing out on at least half of the fun. Pumping your RSS feed into every social site you can find might bring you a few more eyeballs, but the odds of them 'sticking' is low. Instead, use social networks to listen and to interact. Be a real human being instead of a node of a network. People don't identify with a post on a blog they clicked on randomly, but they will remember an experience where you (or one of your fans) pointed them to a post personally when it helped them learn something."

Coudal Partners runs a service called The Deck. Each month, a series of subtle ads are featured on a list of partner sites. These sites address a very targeted audience that is in line with that of the advertisers. The benefits are mutual: advertisers reach an audience that may very well need or want their services, and viewers see products that have a good chance of being useful. If you're a product or service provider, do the research to get in front of users who will actually care about what you're offering.

The direct approach also works. If you want to know something, ask for it. Constantly solicit feedback from users. Services like Get Satisfaction exist to empower customers. Don't know if a buggy feature is worth fixing? Send a quick email to your beta testers. Not sure what to write that next blog post about? Ask your readers what they'd rather have you write about. People love having a voice that can enact change. By giving that to them, you earn their trust because you trusted them first.

Andrew Sullivan is a well-known political blogger who writes a column for The Atlantic. His column typically does not allow commentary, but one day, Sullivan posed an open question to his readership: should comments be enabled? Surprisingly, 60 per cent were against the idea. One noted, "Readers of your blog could opt to not read the comments section, but in truth we would rarely opt not to read them – on your blog or any other blog. Blog comments have the power to hammerlock one's attention. I think, humans being highway rubberneckers, we'd be impotent to resist looking over the rantings and counter-rantings that would make their way into your Comments Section".

In his article Understanding Web Design, Jeffrey Zeldman describes web design as "the creation of digital environments that facilitate and encourage human activity; reflect or adapt to individual voices and content; and change gracefully over time while always retaining their identity." Clean code and a beautiful design are important components of a successful site. Getting in front of the right users and offering them something useful gets you on the right track. But humanity is the hook, the true holy grail of attracting visitors. Strive to make personal connections. Take your users on an adventure, show them the time of their life, and you'll have done all you need.

You might also like Essential free apps for your web design toolkit

Current page: Online v offline

Prev Page If a tree falls...

Useful links