I beg your pardon? That wasn’t very friendly was it?

This error message popped up from one of the online systems at work the other day. Actually I thought I’d been pretty busy for quite a while, so this was pretty disappointing to hear.

My point here is: pay attention to the error message that come from your website. And the welcome message. And the login message.

These messages are your chance to interact with your visitors. How often do you get the chance to do this? This is your opportunity to speak direct to your customers, so please say something nice.

Also, remember that the only reason you have the error message in the first place is because your code isn’t working. That’s slightly controversial I know, especially if you are a programmer (like me). Your code should be designed to deal with everything that your visitors throw at your site. In fact, it’s probably worth getting a non-programmer to write your messages.

What should an error message say?

The first thing you should do is apologize. Then explain what happened (from your visitors’ point of view). Tell them what they should do next and show them how to avoid the error in the future.

After all, no one wants to be told off twice.

On the way to the mall to look at an iPod Touch the other night Chris Daughtry’s Over You was playing on STAR 101.3. I like the song and it was good to listen to on a sunny spring evening.

Playing with the iPod in the Apple Store I popped up iTunes and there was the track again. Of course I listened to it and it sounded great.

Driving to the airport today while thinking about this post I noticed a billboard by the freeway with Daughtry’s face on it and STAR 101.3. Then I saw an ad for the iPod.

Can you achieve this amount of consistency in your website and online presence? Before you stop me and say “wait just a second, you’re asking us to control the airwaves now?” – let me explain. You have many different places and channels where your online business gets seen. Are you doing your best to make sure that your message looks the same across all these?

1. Is your blog integrated into your site or bolted on with a completely different look and navigation?
2. Do all your pages have a similar look and feel and consistent navigation?
3. Do your autoresponder emails use the same style as the website?
4. Do they come from the same domain as the website or from a provider with a different address?
5. Do the emails work with the message of your website?
6. Do you provide support and is this as friendly and helpful as the website?
7. If you talk to customers on the phone are you as helpful as your website says you are?
8. Do your online adverts share a consistent message or do they just grab visitors (and disappoint them when they reach your web pages)?

You may not have the marketing reach of iTunes and the airwaves but you have a number of channels that you can control. If you can make your messages consistent then they build on each other and reinforce each other and provide a better overall experience for the customer.

My experience with the iPod was enhanced by seeing and hearing consistent, familiar messages in places that I wasn’t expecting. Because it made the experience better it made it more likely that I would buy the iPod (I did).

The only thing I haven’t done yet is download the song from iTunes