Everyone Likes to be Asked

Recently a client asked if they should still send out their eNewsletter even though they felt their website was not up to par – and in fact – had just started working on a redevelopment project.

I suggested that, rather than seeing it as a reason not to send their information; they reach out to their community and get them involved. Their intended recipients were, after all, previous visitors to their site and business partners. By including an article announcing the website redesign project and soliciting comments on the current site, the client would be able to accomplish several objectives:

– mitigate the impression the current site would make by managing the expectations of the potential visitors
– gain feedback and viewpoint from a core audience
– communicate to their core audience that their opinions are valued
– send a time sensitive message

For me, this is a classic way to harness the social media aspect of the Internet and fully leverage the interactive nature of the medium. Since “everyone likes to be asked” – a simple question can be all it takes to get on the road to developing the right relationship with your website visitors.