Tips on Marketing Your Own Site
Effective use of Javascript "Pop-up" Windows
Javascript "pop-up" windows have been in wide use by websites in almost all industries for the past several
years. While the general consensus seems to be that pop ups are "irritating" and thus ineffective, there are ways these tools can be made into effective,
and even welcome, marketing tools.
What exactly are Javascript "pop-up" windows? They are small windows that pop-up
whenever visitors:
(a.) visit a particular website/webpage;
(b.) leave a particular website/webpage;
(c.) position the cursor on top of a link on your webpage; or
(d.) click on a link on your webpage.
The first implementation is to have a pop-up window load automatically as soon as a visitor views a particular web page. This type of pop-up window appears at a side location
and usually directs the attention of the visitors to advertising materials.
The second implementation is to have the pop-up window displayed when visitors leave the website, as opposed to when they first arrive. This can be accomplished with tiny changes
in the JavaScript code. This method is often used to goad visitors into doing additional business in the site after they are done browsing through the
site content. These types of pop-up windows are often used to call visitors attention to any special marketing offers that the site may be peddling.
But according to many studies, this is the implementation that gives the greatest amount of "irritation" to visitors.
The third implementation is to have the pop-up window appear as site visitors place the cursor on top of a link. They don't need to click on that link for the "pop-up" window
to show, they just have to place the cursor on top. This type of a pop-up window can be used in several ways. If you have an order form and want to
have a little help window associated with each field, then this is the way to do it. Or maybe if you want to highlight or provide a brief description
or additional information for a particular link on your website, then this is the type of "pop-up" window to use.
The fourth implementation is to activate pop-up windows once site visitors click on a link. This method is usually used to give visitors a whole lot more information on the link,
in a quantity that is greater than that can be accommodated by the third type discussed above. In many cases, these windows are used as full-fledged
advertising tools, bringing visitors to whole new websites that are completely unrelated to the original site that the visitor is browsing.
In all these implementations, you may encounter pitfalls, including adverse visitor reaction. This is the major cause of the ineffectiveness of a Javascript "pop-up" window
campaign.
Webmasters who claim that JavaScript pop up windows are not effective simply do not understand how to make them effective. Nine out of ten times, their problem is that
they are using pop ups to simply display banners and other advertisements, which inherently generate poor response ratios most of the time.
Here are some tips for creating effective pop-ups:
Do something special with your offer so that when your window pops up, your visitors will be so interested in the offer that they don't even have a chance
to be irritated. Give them incentives for acting on your offer. The key to an effective campaign is to arouse the interest of visitors and draw
them toward the object of your pop-up window campaign, rather than turn them off from what they perceive as the "intrusive" nature of the pop-up window marketing. Never ever implement pop-ups on your web site for the sole purpose of displaying advertisements. This has proven ineffective, and it will indeed irritate your visitors.
It is better to carefully develop some type of special offer that you can use with your pop-up window strategy. Come up with an appetizing way of presenting your offer using the pop-up window. Perhaps you can place a mini-trivia, a brief description, a brief history of the
product, or a short discussion about the benefits of the product you are offering. This can easily be done using the third option discussed above
(window pops up when visitors place cursor over the link). In such cases, visitors would even welcome the window, as it presents them with additional
useful information. Be careful about the words you use in the pop-up window and do not make it sound like some shameless advertising plug. This will perk up the interest of the
visitor more and it will, in fact, appeal to them. This is always better than just shoving an advertising banner into their faces, using the pop-up
window. Make use of the so-called "smart" pop-ups that allow each visitor to view the window only once. If he's using the same browser, then he probably
won't see it again as cookies can be used to ensure that each visitor only sees the pop up window once. This gets rid of the "irritating" factor
and is recommended with the first implementation discussed above (automatic loading of the pop-up window). Pick up the "smart" pop-up JavaScript
FREE here: http://www.merchantseek.com/jspopup.htm
In general, the following are the properties that your Javascript pop-up window must possess in order to be effective:
They encourage immediate action. Use your pop-up to encourage visitors to perform a specific action. Visitors tend to ignore advertisements, but they respond
positively to pop-ups that offer the opportunity to participate in a survey or subscribe to a newsletter.
They offer tangible benefits. Successful pop-ups give the customer an incentive, such as a gift, a coupon or a report.
They are highly targeted. Pop-ups should be aimed at a specific audience and
should have a specific purpose. A pop-up successfully appeals to a target demographic, say, people interested in receiving information about a
specific topic. The more highly targeted, the better. You can use cookies to personalize pop-ups for individual users.
Unsuccessful pop-ups, on the other hand, often have one or more of the following characteristics.
They offer irrelevant information. Advertisements for unrelated products distract
visitors and jumble your site's message.
They encourage a purchase. Customers seem to find so-called "hard sell" pop-ups
particularly irritating. As was mentioned above, avoid using pop-ups that are essentially banner ads.
They interrupt the viewer. Pop-up ads have a bad reputation because they distract the viewer, interrupting whatever was going on at the time, such as purchasing.
Too many pop-ups or inappropriately placed pop-ups detract from your site's message and send users packing.
With this brief overview of effective Javascript "pop-up" techniques, you're now on your way to implementing them on your websites. To get to the nitty-gritty
technical details of installing your Javascript pop-up windows, here are some online resources where you can find in-depth Javascript tutorials and
samples that you can use on your own site.
Of course, after you've crafted your Pop-up window, don't forget to test it. Every business should test everything related to their advertising and marketing, but it's
especially important to the success of any small business online. With so much to see, do, and learn on the Internet, it's very easy to get distracted
and waste your time on ineffective advertising strategies.
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