Including a Resources Page in your website design has become a huge trend, especially in the creative industry. And for good reason! A Resources Page is a fantastic way to provide value for your online tribe and helps establish the like, know, trust factor that is paramount to connecting with potential customers.

Why should I even care about a Resources Page? How do I know what my website visitors really need? How much information is too much? What should I include in a Resources Page?

Good questions. Let’s break em’ down!

Why you should care about a Resources Page

One of my favorite marketing books is called Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion. In his book, Dr. Cialdini explains the 6 principles of what compels humans to comply (aka say yes or in business terms, buy.)

The first key principle he dives into is called Reciprocity. Reciprocity is simply the practice of exchanging things for mutual value. 

In his study examples, Dr. Cialdini shows how the rule of reciprocity is deeply ingrained in human nature.

Think about when someone gives you something. Anything. Let’s use a gift for example. Of course, your first reaction is gratitude and maybe even a little shock at the gesture, but what feeling follows?

Unless you have mastered the art of not giving into reciprocity, I bet at some point you think about what you can do or give in return. It isn’t a bad thing. Often we want to give in return to show how thankful we are for that person! 

Reciprocity absolutely works in business. That’s why you see freebies flying around right and left like hotcakes. It is simply human nature to feel the need to return the favor or give in exchange for something valuable. 

You give your potential customer something of real value and in exchange they give you value in return through hiring you or buying your product. 

At its core, a Resources Page leans into the principle of reciprocity.

When done well and with meaningful intention to truly serve your customers, it can be a highly effective tool to build a bridge for connection to begin establishing the like, know and trust factor in your relationship. 

How to know what your customers need from a Resources Page

If you’re first starting out in business (go girl!), this will be a little tougher to determine, but what I would suggest is start by looking at your product and/or service. Are there any complementary tools or products and services that your customer might need or benefit from along with your offering? 

For example: I sell website templates for creatives with a focus on digital product creators. On my Resources Page, you’ll find my favorite tools that help me run my business from email marketing providers, course software, and more.

Each recommendation is a complementary offering to my own products!

If you’ve been in biz for a while and have any sort of following of people around your brand, you can simply ask them what they struggle with or need the most help with!

You can also take cues from your inbox. What questions are your customers often asking you? What pieces of advice are you sought after for? What services or products are people asking you to perform that really aren’t your thing? 

Write a canned email that points to your Resources Page to save you time and still show up with value.

The good news is your Resources Page can evolve as you tune in more to what your customers are saying!

How much information is too much for a Resources Page?

I happen to be in camp, You Can Never Give Away Too Much Value, BUT there is a caveat to the information sharing game.

Your Resources Page isn’t equal to a free for all home for your proprietary business information. Aka you don’t have to freely and openly share anything that could be detrimental to your business.

Examples: If you are a Planner product designer, you might not want to share the exact manufacturer that brings your product to life so freely. Understandable! Or if you are a florist, you might not want to share your go-to contacts for getting your floral products as building those relationships probably took quite a long time. Makes sense!

A Resources Page isn’t meant to be a “This is Exactly How I Run My Business” page, but rather a place where your customers can visit to gain valuable insight into you, your business, and how you can help them in your offerings.

My business serves other creative business owners. I do that through the actual product I sell, but how can my potential customers know if I am actually a legit business owner that knows her stuff? My Resources Page helps in that department. I share the “Tools That Run My Business” because I truly want to help other business owners streamline in their daily efforts and you knowing what tools I use to effectively run my business isn’t detrimental to me selling my templates. It gives you valuable information to help you and also shows you that I am in fact deeply immersed in what I say I do. Win! 

What should I include in a resources page?

Here is where the fun really begins!

As I said above, I truly believe you can’t give your customers too much value. The more value you give, the more potential you have to build trust and affinity.

Here is a list of topic ideas you can include in your Resources Page:

1. Complementary tools to your products and/or services
2. Preferred Vendors or Industry Peers who offer complementary services to your offerings
3. A fun little freebie that compliments your offering, just because! (I offer a downloadable printable that is perfect for my target audience of female creative entrepreneurs!)
4. A list of books you’ve read that could be truly helpful for your customer
5. If books aren’t your thing, maybe point them to a list of your favorite online websites and blogs that give more valuable information and align with your brand and mission!
6. A collection of your free resources or downloads that will help prime your potential customer to understand your value and help solve a problem or need they have
7. Do you offer even more valuable advice through blogging? Create an eye-catching call to action that tells them about it so they will continue the journey through your website! 

To ensure your Resources Page is actually helping you in your potential customer’s journey, make sure to wrap up the page with a compelling call to action. You just delivered a HUGE value, so put reciprocity to work and point them to the next critical step of your website. That could be to shop your products or learn more about your services, but no matter what it is, don’t leave them hanging without a clear call to action pointing them in the direction of making the sale!

Need a website Resource Page template to help you make it happen? I’ve got a Showit Add On Template here to get your Resources Page up and running in no time!