Welcome to Challenge 2 of You Had Me At HELLO: a hot series to help you create “instant chemistry” with your customers, the moment they land on your website.

This week’s challenge?

Wrap up a welcome gift for new visitors — one that gives ‘em a taste of your skills, talents + generous spirit.

Research has proven that offering someone an unexpected gift — with no strings attached — is one of the quickest ways to form a bond with that person.

As human beings, we’re just wired to appreciate favors + treats! We love getting free stuff. And when that “free stuff” happens to be genuinely helpful?

Then we really fall in love.

Just like in Challenge 1 — when you created a sizzling START HERE page — creating a welcome gift is another chance to give website visitors a taste of your very BEST work. The creme de la creme. Tied up with a bow.

You’ve probably seen “free gifts” on other websites. Sometimes, business owners will ask you to “opt in” to their mailing list, in order to get the gift. Other times, they’ll just offer it, straight up, no sign up required. There’s no “right” or “wrong” way to dole out your gift. The point is to be helpful, while showing people how smart + awesome you are — not just collect email addresses, for the hell of it.

You might already have a welcome gift on your site, right now. (But maybe it’s kinda boring, lame, or out of date.)

And you’re probably wondering what kind of gift you should offer, now.

My answer?

Whatever the heck you want, as long as it’s fun + easy for you to make — and genuinely useful for your peeps.

A few ideas to get you going …

:: Running a Pilates studio? Your welcome gift could be a free 10-minute video with an introductory class — or a free challenge, like this one! — that newbies can try at home.

:: Are you a life coach for people who want to change careers? Your welcome gift could be a checklist to help someone prepare for his or her next job interview — complete with an uplifting music playlist, for GO time!

:: Got a mystical astrology biz? Your welcome gift could be a general 12-month forecast for the year to come, with a “rock the stars” tip to help folks get the MOST out of each moon cycle.

Got a few ideas for your gift? Yay!

Still stumped?

A great question to ask yourself is:

What’s the biggest thing my customers are struggling with when they first arrive in my world?

And what’s one gift that could help them with … that?

Once you’ve figured out what kind of gift you want to create, it’s important put it somewhere prominent on your website. Don’t hide it away. (You wouldn’t hide the good cookies from your favorite guests, would you? 🙂

I always suggest featuring your welcome gift somewhere on your homepage, up towards the top, so people don’t have to scroll down to find it. (Check my homepage as an example. 40-page e-book, right in yo’ face, like boom!)

You can also remind people about your welcome gift …

:: On your START HERE page (which we talked about in Challenge 1)

:: At the bottom of your blog posts

:: At the very bottom of your website (often called the “footer”)

:: In the side area of your website (often called the “sidebar”)

:: In an elegant “pop-up” window or “hello” bar 

:: On social media. (I tweet an “excerpt” from my e-book a couple of times a week, with a link back to my site. Just a gentle way to remind people that I’ve GOT a welcome gift waiting for them, in case they never noticed, or forgot!)