Stop Annoying Your Customers and Prospects

Since I stopped subscribing to the paper version our local morning newspaper, I like to read the stories online. The paper has a full website, which contains most of the content of the paper.

One day I logged on and was reading an article when from the top right-hand corner of the screen it looked like a page of the newspaper was turning down. On the underside of the turned down “page” was an advertisement for a local realtor. It had an “x” on the corner, so I clicked on it and the page flipped back up into place.

After only a few minutes, here it came again, as if on some hidden timer. There was the smiling face of the realtor again. I clicked again to close, but every couple of minutes the page flipped again. Very annoying. I’m sure that realtor paid a lot for that animated advertisement.

I wonder if she knew how annoying it would be and how many people would just close it without looking? I was so annoyed I actually called the realtor later that day to let her know. Instead of having a warm, fuzzy feeling about her and her business, I now remember how annoyed I was with her ad.

I like Prevention Magazine and am a subscriber, but I also get their e-newsletters. They always have great tips on health, diet and nutrition. But every time I click on an article I want to read, a giant ad for one of their books or CDs pops up in a separate window, covering the article I selected. I first have to close the window before I can read the article. Sometimes I’ll be reading an article online and out of nowhere, an animated object flies across the screen, flutters around and then sits there, singing or talking to me. With no little “x” to close it, I have to listen until it finishes and fades away.

Are your websites annoying or informing your customers? Are they drawing in prospects or sending them running away as fast as they can? In an effort to sell products, businesses are using all the features of online advertising to catch the eye of prospective customers. What you may think is a gentle nudge can feel like an all out assault to the customer. Constantly bombarded with pop-up ads, animated pitches that sing and dance can have an opposite effect. There are some websites that I avoid simply because I have to constantly close pop-up windows that intrude on my reading and senses. Long automated voicemail pitches before allowing for the customer to select a route for service are equally annoying. Too much makes a business seem desperate or unaware of good marketing practices.

Be sure your website is bringing in business, not driving it away.

Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for BusinessWorkForce.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing Alto II with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients discover what they love and spend their life on it. You can read more of her blogs at businessworkforceblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt.