Many direct sales companies are becoming more web-friendly by providing their consultant base replicated websites.� A replicated website is basically a website template that gets copied at the home office for consultants to use.� Most of the time, that website template has information that can be changed with unique information for consultant (URL, name, welcome text, layout, etc.)� Customization makes the replicated website unique to that rep.
The keyword here is unique.� Consultants should strive to set themselves apart from the thousands of other consultant websites.� The professionalism of the customization could also determine if you get any web orders.� Avoid these seven common mistakes to get the most benefit from your replicated website.
1.�� �Loud Music � This should be a given yet I�ve clicked on many websites that automatically start playing. You may like country or hip hop, but will all of your site visitors? Or will they instantly click off?� You also may be infringing on copyright and royalty issues by playing music of an artist without permission.
2.�� �Duplicating text that�s already available on the site.� Your replicated site likely already has a link about business opportunity or product information.� No need to regurgitate the same info on that valuable piece of real estate (the one page that you can customize).
3.�� Too much personal information. This can be a balancing act.� Your personal testimony about why you joined the company or how the products have helped you can be compelling.� But information about you being the PTA secretary or a soccer mom isn�t going to enhance the buying experience.
4.�� Lack of information � �Welcome to my site, please look around� will only invite people to instantly click off.� Catch their attention early and give them a reason to stay.
5.�� �Web counters.� They look cheesy and don�t mean diddly.� You can set the counter to start at any number � so over inflated site visits or conversely, teeny tiny numbers that show few have visited won�t help.� Instead use Google Analytics or StatCounter or any of the others that are coded into your site and only you have access to data.� Use the data to help you determine if your marketing campaigns are working and from where traffic is generated. (If you didn�t understand that last part, then a web counter isn�t something you need at this stage in your career).
6.�� �Amateur web design.� Many of the replicated sites now allow you to add html to pretty-up your site.� If you don�t know what you�re doing, hire someone or don�t do it.� I�ve seen far too many who attempt to merely �cut and paste the code that corporate gave us� only to skew their entire alignment or template�and they just leave it like that.� Don�t do that.
7.�� �Too much information.� Remembers it�s an introduction page.� You just want to encourage visitors to click on links and come inside � preferably to request more info, to sign up or to purchase.� Listing paragraph after paragraph and paragraph isn�t benefiting anyone and your visitors won�t stick around long enough to read all that anyway.
Now that you know what not to do, stick around for another post on what to do.� If you�ve fallen victim to any of these mistakes, fear not, just go change your site � posthaste!