How to Derive what Your Visitors Want to Know and in What Order.

Question Zoning aims to improve the quality of communications with your visitors and hence improve the level of success you are experiencing from your website. 

From your visitors point of view, they are looking for information to satisfy their wants and needs. For them, a great website is one that delivers the results they are looking for efficiently and honestly. 

From your point of view, you want your visitors to turn into long term customers. For you, your website will be a success if it reflects the passion behind your business and attracts great customers. 

Both can be achieved by ensuring that your visitors are being provided with the information they are looking for and yet know that more information is available on their return visit. 

Question Zoning uses the information obtained from your Marketing Analysis exercises. This enables you to collect anticipated customer questions based on scenarios and quality issues. The responses you create will be used to guide and nurture your visitors to become returning visitors and eventually customers.

The five zones below are designed to collect similarly styled questions. 

The style of questions take the customer from first time visitor, who know little about your product, service or business, down to prospective customer who are ready to buy and looking for specific information. 

The objective of this exercise is to be able to provide the right kind of information that gets straight to the point so the visitor doesn't end up having to trawl through pages of sales literature only to be dissapointed that the information doesn't provide the right level of detail.

Visitor commitment assumptions

You can assume that there will be a low level of visitor commitment at this stage as they know you might be able to solve their problem. The visitor will still know little about you and not even know if your solution will work for them.

Product/Service/Business familiarity

The visitor will still have a basic level of understanding about the kind of product or service they are looking for. They will know a little bit more about you, and may be more open to your suggestions and ready to see how different your product and services are.

Visitor anxieties

Visitor anxiety will be high. Their specific problem will be different or unusual in some way, and they will want to know under what criteria your solution will work for them. They may be more open to suggestions on how to solve their problem. They will still want to know if you have solved similar problems and at least understand their problem.

Question style

The questions asked will reflect their high anxieties. The style of questions will be specific and results orientated. Examples would be:

• "It needs to be able to {specifics}...",
• "Will it work under these conditions...",
• "I have these circumstances...",
• "Need advice on {specifics}..."

Visitor expectations

As the previous stage, the visitor will be looking for empathy and trust. You should respond with impartial advice and case studies that reflect similar customer scenarios. If you have alternative solutions then the 'feel-felt-found' technique would be a good persuasive introduction to consider new concepts.

Visitor direction

The response you provide will have a purpose to either build trust (educate and nurture) and keep the visitor within this zone, or empathise and persuade them to move the to next zone, "What's in it for me?" (capture and hold).

Visitor commitment assumptions

You can assume that there will be strong level of visitor commitment at this stage as they will probably have decided to favour your products and services over the competition. The visitor will now want to learn more about your business history and be interested in what assurances you offer.

Product/Service/Business familiarity

The visitor will by now have a high level of understanding about the kind of product or service they are looking for. They will know your products and services quite well, but want to see more about your systems infra-structure and support.

Visitor anxieties

Visitor anxiety will be high. Their specific issues will be the stability of your organisation and whether you can provide the assurances they are seeking.

Question style

The questions asked will reflect their high anxieties. The style of questions will be probing for weaknesses in your organisation. Examples would be:

• "What guarantees do you offer?",
• "How long have you been operating?",
• "Can you support this {product/service}?",
• "Will the service levels change over time?"

Visitor expectations

The visitor will be looking to see how your organisation can support the products and services you offer. When persuading, you should respond with strong benefit statements. When informing, you should respond with impartial advice and case studies that reflect customer decisions based on your assurances.

Visitor direction

The response you provide will have a purpose to either build trust (educate and nurture) and keep the visitor within this zone, or empathise and persuade them to move the to next zone, "What's next?" (capture and hold).