As a novice WordPress user I have been relatively happy with the traffic my blog posts have generated. But as a commerce site the other measurement that my site is really connecting with my audience is the number of people who email or call with questions. I was able to generate more “person to person” interaction after I added some simple invitations to my website.
Can we talk?
A typical characteristic of all internet users is a reticence to email, call or sign up on any website for fear of being bombarded by annoying email campaigns or unwanted phone solicitations. Since I am in the insurance business I am particularly sensitive to such apprehension on the part of the general public. At the same time I understand that unless I can actually talk to a prospect the possibility of gaining a client is spectacularly slim.
People will respond to the right invitation
In order to break through some of the apprehension of a person contacting me I decided to leverage the blogging maxim of “Give away your best information free”. I did this initially by placing an image of the word “Question” on the right sidebar of my website inviting people to call if they had questions. As goofy and amateurish as this may seem, it actually worked!
WordPress text and image widgets
With more people calling and emailing questions I decided to target the recent confusion over the Affordable Care Act by including an image of a vintage Bart Simpson phone inviting people to call me with their specific questions. Additionally, I included a text blurb with my phone number telling people that I’m always available to answer their questions even if I’m wearing my slippers. Several callers did ask if I was in my slippers when they called.
Properly size the image for the widget
Initially I incorporated an image and link to my contact page using html code in a WordPress Text widget to my sidebar. Later, I started using the Image widget which is much easier to deploy. To ensure that the image will be correctly sized to the slim side bars I am using, I add the media image with a width of no more than 150 pixels. Sometimes the images seem small on large screen notebook or computer monitor, but they are appropriate for mobile tablets where the screen is smaller.
Myth buster image
How are agents paid?
The text and image widgets are certainly a “call to action”, I hope, are in a non-threatening way. In other words, I am inviting people to contact me without the cloud of commitment that sometimes dissuades people from sending that email or dialing the phone number. In an effort to alleviate some of the consternation of contacting me, an insurance agent, I placed another image in my sidebar to let people know that I’m reimbursed by the carrier, not the client. After talking to several people asking how I was paid, it quickly became clear that I had to inform people that I would NOT be asking them for money. In short, I don’t bill clients for my information or services.
Call to action
The sidebar text and image widgets are important because they show up regardless of what blog post or page a person may be viewing. They might be reading one of my blog posts on railroad history and realize they can call me with any question, not just about historical research. I’ve been so encouraged by the response to the widgets that I now try to update my site with breaking news in the form of a text widget. For a non-html WordPress user, the text and image widgets are powerful tools to keep my website fresh and topical.
Good response to my invitation
Overall, the number of people that have contacted me since I included invitations on my sidebars has been very encouraging. A significant impetus for people to make contact was the impending deadline to sign up for new health plans under the Affordable Care Act. I have no illusions that after the deadline the level of contacts will continue. But the mere fact that people called, we had good conversations, and many subsequently allowed me to be their health insurance agent was proof to me that a simple or sometimes corny invitation to make contact works. What have you got to lose?
