Talking Avatars as a Marketing Tool

If you market online, talking avatars might be a useful addition to your website.

These animated virtual characters can do anything from explain how a product works to respond to your website visitor's actions.

You can customize avatars to look like virtually anything or anyone, including yourself.

SitePal, offered by Oddcast, is available as a subscription service and offers some rather impressive capabilities with several subscription levels from which to choose.

Working from your choice of base models, you can modify facial features, hairstyles and colors, and even the age of the avatar.

Other software features allow you to choose their clothing and the background. You can provide your own setting or choose from SitePal's library that includes everything from a pumpkin patch to outer space.

Custom-made avatars can also be created from a photo you provide. It can have a photo-realistic look or resemble an illustration. Several other options are available including a stylized version of the photo.

Customizing an avatar's appearance using SitePal is simple. It's more or less a point-and-click process. The icons are self-explanatory with easy-to-use controls.

Voices are available in a wide variety including different languages.

You can provide SitePal with the text used for the avatars to speak by uploading text or audio files. You can also record text by phone.

In terms of what the avatar says to your visitors, you can go from simple to intuitive and interactive.

If you just want a virtual host for your site, you could have a basic welcome message to your visitors, or have your avatar recite testimonials from customers. Special offers or new products could be announced.

To make your host interactive, "he" or "she" can give a specified response based on what your visitor clicks.

Talking avatars can inform, entertain, and persuade. Used creatively, they can also be an effective viral marketing tool.

Nancy Richardson
CreateYourMarket.com publisher

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Quick Tips:

Enclose a business card promoting your website with each piece of outgoing mail.

Ask customers who frequently do business with you for a testimonial.

Promote your website URL offline on everything from bumper stickers to your answering machine message.

Want to reach the highest percentage of your target market?

Advertise in specialty publications including newspaper supplements devoted to a specific topic.

Marketing is crucial, but it doesn't always have to be serious.

Some of the most effective advertising campaigns rely on humor. Don't be afraid to make your customers laugh!

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