Show HN: Need feedback on new website/concept

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4329485

by joeytom • 14 years ago

8 18 14 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Hi,

I spent the last couple of months developing OurClubFundraiser(http://www.ourclubfundraiser.com) and launched it about two weeks ago.I would love to get some feedback from the HN community on how I could improve the site and tweak the concept.

Since launching I have found that: 1) I am not getting enough visits(Average around 5 a day) 2) Any of the visits I do get are not converting.

I am working on 1) and will hopefully be able to dramatically increase the number of visits over the next few weeks.

I could really do with some third party perspectives on point 2.

1)Is the concept not explained well enough? 2)Have I got the pricing wrong? 3)Is there a problem with the concept that I am missing?

Any advice given would be greatly appreciated.

pbjorklund• 14 years ago

1. That counter that changes each second is really annoying and adds no value. 2. I could not figure out what you do by just reading the first paragraph 3. After some more browsing I still don't get it

Todo 1. Less animations - Each time something changes my eye drifts towards it and disrupts my thinking 2. Make a small video explaining what you do

joeytom7• 14 years ago

Thanks for the feedback. I am currently working on a video. Hope to have it live soon.

Sodaware• 14 years ago

I can think of a few changes I'd make off the top.

I'd put the pricing info on the front page, right next to how much money they could bring in. The profit calculator is a neat toy, but you could summarise the info and put it on the homepage.

Get rid of that ticker in the top, or at least remove the seconds. I found it very distracting. The how it works page is also a bit tight. Maybe have some bigger number bullets and cut it down to important points.

Make a big point of the "risk free" terms. It didn't really stand out to me.

Really, the big points are:

- You can raise a lot of money in a fun way.

- It's cheap to register.

- IF you don't raise enough, we refund the charge.

That's a pretty good deal, so put it right in front of people.

Maybe you could offer some branding/subdomain options for clubs, so they can tell players to sign up at myclub.ourclubfundraiser.com or similar. Do players really need to see a profit calculator?

5 visits a day isn't really enough to find out anything meaningful. More importantly, the target audience is probably not willing (or able) to drop those kinds of fees right away. I know when I did volunteer work it could take ages to get things done, and when money was involved it took even longer.

Given the audience, I can think of a few changes that might help.

Ask for an email address and send more information. Some case studies would be nice too. It doesn't have to be anything huge, just "thanks for requesting info: here's how it works, here's how it's helped people, any questions ask away". Send one or two followup emails to see if they need help setting up of have questions.

You may have to take a more direct route to getting customers, such as emailing local clubs to see if they're interested. AdWords and Facebook ads are other ways to get a quick boost of interest, but I'm guessing the direct approach will work better.

Hope that helps!

joeytom7• 14 years ago

Thank you very much for the above, very helpful! The subdomain idea is something I hadn't thought of. I will look into it. Thanks again!

ed172• 14 years ago

Emailing local clubs may prove successful but your worry there is that a "fundraising" email may get marked down as spam.

You have to find a way to target the decision-makers in a club. It may be a case of knocking on doors, attending events etc. to get those first clubs on board.

ed172• 14 years ago

It is an interesting concept and I can see how it could be beneficial to an organization.

However, I don't think you sell it well enough, especially on the Pricing page. I need more of an incentive - tell me what I'm getting for that price. Is that price a subscription, one-off payment or what? Is there a free-trial? What happens if I miss the count-down deadline?

joeytom7• 14 years ago

Thanks for the comment. Good points made, I will put together a list of advantages for the pricing page and a clear outline of what you get for your money. There is a free trial, it is something I need to advertise more. Thanks again!

cmaxwell2• 14 years ago

This is very focused on sport. Perhaps it would make sense to have something sport related on the front page. I don't run an organization but I am interested in sports and like sports pools. When I visited your site I didn't really get it and probably would have closed it not understanding it was sport related. However now that I get it I am interested it.

I would focus less on the club benefits and more on how fun it is to play. Very few people run clubs/organizations but tons of people would be interested in playing and might nudge organizers towards it.

cmaxwell2• 14 years ago

Also consider Facebook ads and target people who like things like Sports Pools, Online Sports Gambling, etc.

I bet you won't get a lot of direct conversions but indirectly I bet you will get more organizers getting exposed to the offering.

joeytom7• 14 years ago

I am not sure about facebook ads, it would be difficult to track conversions as clubs usually require a lot of round table discussions before they commit to anything. Thanks for your feedback!

zio99• 14 years ago

To take some cues from a similar website: http://www.fundscrip.com/

1) Over $6 Million Raised! Add numbers, they show traction no matter how low.

2) Rule of three: No donating, No sympathy purchases, No door-to-door sales. Pitch your service in three lines.

3) Market segmentation: Groups, Supporters, Retailers. Rather than a one-size fits all website, do a "Find out more" for each type of visitor to your website to improve conversion.

Hope this helps. Additionally, you could outsource the copywriting and set up some goals on Google Analytics to study visitor flow.

joeytom7• 14 years ago

Thanks for that feedback. I had never come across fundscrip.com before, I will check them out.

codegeek• 14 years ago

clickable http://www.ourclubfundraiser.com

Decent design. Your "how it works" page has too much text I think. Cut it down a little. I mean the step by step process.

lordring101• 14 years ago

Very interesting concept. I agree with some of the other posters. It needs a video explaining how the concept works. You need to capture your audience and not leave them wondering what's what

joeytom7• 14 years ago

Thanks for that. It is definitely something I will work on! Thanks to the HN community for the feedback.

dgunn• 14 years ago

Not an answer to your question but the profit estimator allows the user to replace the text in the final output at the bottom. I wouldn't make that an input since it's for display only. Header tag would probably be best. I click and highlight text as I read (habit) and I accidentally erased it. :)

pjnewton• 14 years ago

As far as converting goes I would say the following:

1.) Your headline gets my attention (That is if I am in the market for a fundraising solution) 2.) The copy below the headline does a fairly good job of gaining my interest is just what it is you do. Maybe a little less wordy, a couple main features listed here would be good. 3.) The big problem I see with the copy is that it doesn't do much to create desire. You caught my attention, got me interested in what you have, but now I'd like to be led down the I WANT THIS, I NEED THIS path. I think some of the suggestions on here would help, outlining the big benefits to me, maybe show some proof.

If you can figure out how to get your ideal customer to really desire what you offer it should be pretty easy to get them to click that 'Start Raising...' button.

There is a lot going on that distracted me from clicking on the 'Start Raising...' button. I see you button, but I also see this video looking thing to the right, I see a calculator that looks interesting, there is a countdown in the corner that is drawing my eye away from your CTA, there's scrolling pictures in the bottom corner drawing my eye away, etc.

Hope this helps!

joeytom7• 14 years ago

Thanks very much for taking the time to respond to this. It is a massive help. I am going to start making the changes recommended on this thread over the next few days.

Show HN: Need feedback on new website/concept

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