Website music - did you test if it works or not?

<p>I am curious if anyone has <strong>actually tested</strong> to see whether or not website music has any impact on say the number of inquiries per visitor.</p>

I have NEVER seen a discussion thread on the subject where the response was positive towards websites who auto-

play music. I personally hate it and will click away asap.

 

However, I am not likely your target market and it's hard to say if any of the forum discussions I have seen contain

people who are your target market. That having been said, I can't imagine any evidence being out there that would

show that HAVING music on your site increased bookings. After all, you are a photographer, not a musician, right?

 

Given all this, what benefit is music really giving you and what risks are you running by having it?

<p>Music or no music - a debate almost as rancorous as Mac v. PC, Canon v. Nikon, Driod v. iPhone.</p>

<p>I polled about 35 people for my boudoir site who fit the targeted demographic about whether or not they a) liked music on web sites and b) if they liked the music on *my* web site.<br>

It was about a 60/40 split with the slim majority actually preferring music.<br>

That being said, the 40% that said no were so adamant about it that they said they immediately leave sites that automatically play music - especially without warning.The other 60% said they wouldn't leave a site because there wasn't any music.<br>

So, first, I created a splash page that said "Enter - site plays music", allowing people to turn off their speakers.<br>

It looked kind of hokey so, in the end, I turned it off. I figure that I would rather have the 40% stick around since the lack of music was not a turn-off for the rest.<br>

People who surf a lot will tell you never to have music but, in a perfect world, I would have a pop-up when people come to my site that says "This site has music. Would you like the music to play" along with a Yes and No button. Under that would be a check box that says "Remember my selection". This would allow visitors to customize their experience.<br>

Since I use a BluDomain template, that's not an option for me :-( But I would definitely incorporate that pop-up if I have a custom site built.</p>

<p>Josh asks</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Given all this, what benefit is music really giving you and what risks are you running by having it?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>It's really to set a mood and give people another sensory stimulant while they view the iamges. It's not unlike buying a DVD of someone's photography or viewing images through your cable company's On Demand; music is playing. It helps stretch out people's attention span so that they (in theory) stay and view it longer.<br>

My partially-educated guess is that while most people will say they hate music, the number of people who react the intended way (stay longer) is probably higher with the music.<br>

Just like placing mirrors besides elevators: most people will tell you they don't care whether mirrors are placed there or not, but the number of complaints about waiting for elevators drops significantly when there are mirrors.<br>

I would LOVE to see a real study done on music's effect, though.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>My partially-educated guess is that while most people will say they hate music, the number of people who react the intended way (stay longer) is probably higher with the music.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Of the people who stay AND like music...perhaps. But I think your previous statements about the 40% HATING music and leaving (echoing my own opinion) while the 60% wouldn't leave because there was no music, is probably the more telling information.</p>

<p>Out of 100 people looking for a photographer who come to your site, if 40 are leaving right off the bat, that leaves you 60 to work with. Even if you add in a few percentage points for people "staying longer with music" I still have a feeling you would have been better off (in terms of eventual bookings) starting with the full 100.</p>

<p>However, this is just my opinion and as I have said, I'm not a wedding photographer's target market. But I think given the strong feelings that people tend to have about auto-play music, the risk of losing people is much higher than the risk you would run by not having it. Particularly if you created some "would you like to hear the music?" option as you discuss.</p>

<p>I absolutely agree with you Josh - it's a numbers game and why anger 40% of viewers? Without the music on, I have a reasonable assurance that 100% of my visitors will not be offended.<br>

The other thing I should mention is that while I sampled 35 people who fit my target market, that's ONLY 35 people. Neither a large nor scientific sampling.<br>

And here's something else: 65% of brides plan their weddings while at work. That tells me two things: 1) 35% of brides lie about planning their weddings at work and 2) music (especially 'surprise music') will draw unwanted attention to them.<br>

I really wish I could offer the choice to each and every visitor but, since I can't, the music is turned off but available to those who want. Of course, my opinion about the number of people who will intentionally turn site music ON is not too positive.</p>

<p>So, I understand and accept (and agree with) the reasons why music *can* be helpful. But the reality is that music is too problematic and, therefore, I keep it off.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>And here's something else: 65% of brides plan their weddings while at work. That tells me two things: 1) 35% of brides lie about planning their weddings at work and 2) music (especially 'surprise music') will draw unwanted attention to them.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>That is actually a REALLY good point that I bet few people consider.</p>

<p>Personally, I find it very frustrating. It usually gives me the impression that the designer is an amateur who does not know basic web etiquette / design.<br>

It's important to remember that many people listen to their own music while surfing the web. Having your music playing over the potential client's is a good way to start out badly.<br>

One more thing: if you are considering uploading your mp3s to your site and playing them in the background, do realize that this does not fall under "Fair Use", and could actually get you into trouble. (Not to mention turn more potential clients against you.)<br>

When I was looking for a wedding photog, I would have preferred that anyone wanting my business had not interrupted my search for information with their music. (Okay, I was most likely listening to Pandora too...) ;)<br>

Good question though.</p>

<p>I've been party to the work of several consulting and media analysis firms' work related to some site makeovers and a range of marketing efforts. The results of focus groups and other research invariably come down on the side of it being a big mistake to auto-play music. If you're so sure that you can't have the impact you want (without music) as clients look at your work, consider giving them two, plainly-labled links: "See Gallery, No Music" and "See Gallery, Play Music" ... and do <em>not</em> make them hunt around for a mute button buried in your design, or a wonky Flash-based volume control, etc. <br /><br />If your visitors want to play a video to get a better look at something, that's a fair time to engage audio - people are used to that.</p>

<p>I got startled too many times in the past by visiting web sites (non photographic) with music or sound effects that I keep my speakers muted at all times. If there is something want to hear, then I can make the choice to turn them on.</p>

<p>One big turn-off for me is when I visit a website and get greeted with some slow-loading introductory page. IF I stick around long enough to wait for that page to load only to hear some music blasting from my speakers without warning and without an obvious way to turn it off (except turning down the volume of my speakers) - then there is a 100% certainty that I am already clicking on the back button of my browser. I simply cannot understand why anyone would want to have their intro page flash-based and with music - that should be an option for the user to choose. I am not objecting to music on a website per se - only the fact that it comes on without warning. Generally, I have the volume of my speaker off or muted anyway - so the music would just waste bandwidth anyway.</p>

<p>I find it extremely hard to believe that 60% of people would leave a site because it DIDN'T play music...</p>

<blockquote>

<p><strong>Bobbi:</strong><br>

I find it extremely hard to believe that 60% of people would leave a site because it DIDN'T play music...</p>

</blockquote>

<p>No one has said that 60% of people would leave a site because it didn't play music.<br>

I did say that of the people I asked, 60% liked the music but would NOT leave a site just because it didn't have music.</p>

<p>Still I would have thought that somebody here would have actually tested it in practice, say run music every other day and see if there is any correlation in site statistics or inquiries. I'm now running an auto playing slide show of background images on my main page, and I could image the response could be improved by music. I know how much more captivating DVD slideshows are with music than without, at least for me. I have the same feelings about music on the web in general as you, but I still think it would be worth the effort to actually look at the numbers. If I try I'll let you know. Thank you for the thoughts.</p>