Why do you write a blog post, add content to your social media accounts, or take out an ad on Facebook or Google? Traffic. If you’re in business, traffic is the holy grail for getting viewers to your information.
Yet what happens after you get readers to your content? What happens when they like a title, click on an ad, and wind up reading your information?
That’s where things can get tricky. Buying the ad is the easy part. What’s more challenging is to have a plan in place to move people from point A to point B. How will you get your viewers to take action?
Conversion is the process of turning clickers into customers. On average, conversion hovers between one and three percent. That means for every hundred people that visit a page or click on an ad, they will follow through and turn into a customer for you.
Does that sound about right for your business? Do you have a one to three percent conversion rate? Do you even know?
If not, it’s time to think about how you’re approaching your prospects and customers, and figuring out how to give them more of what they’re looking for. What can you do differently to get people to take action?
Luckily, we have some thoughts for you on ways to improve your conversion rates.
People don’t convert for many core reasons. It’s not as easy as saying: they aren’t interested. As marketers, our main concern will always be the numbers. If you aren’t tracking yours, that’s your first step. Are you converting 1 percent of your traffic? Is it closer to 0.1 percent? Or lower than that.
Once you know, you can start asking better questions for ways to improve your numbers.
Learn more about your audience and what they really want
If you sell cars, you might think your customers want to buy a new car. But it goes deeper than that. Maybe they are looking for safety features – they were just in an accident and totaled their car. Maybe they are looking for luxury – that big promotion at work finally came through, and they want to show it off in what they drive.
Each of these people has the desire for a new car. But each is approaching what they want in entirely different ways.
You don’t know what they want if you haven’t studied where most of your customers come from. Defining your personas can help you be more attentive to what your customers want and need.
You can start by defining your customer base yourself. Use internal data collected from your existing customers. You might have some customers willing to answer questions and fill out a survey. This can help you dig deeper into why they do business with you.
Of course, for larger companies, this might also include extensive market research. The more detailed information you can define, the more you can determine which personas you gravitate towards, and which are your most profitable niches. These are the ones you can focus on over time.
Dig Deeper
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Define where your best traffic comes from
Too often, business marketers get trapped in their desire to want the fastest traffic possible. They don’t think long term and create a web presence that will reach their target audience in the best way possible over time.
You can generate qualified traffic in a variety of ways:
Paid ads – using PPC platforms such as Google and Facebook, you can get instant traffic from the moment you turn it on.
Outreach – outbound marketing using things like email to reach your audience on a continuous basis.
On site – blog content can help readers understand more of who you are. Do it right, and you can get people to stay on your site, click again and again, and develop a deep relationship with you.
Does one way work better than the other?
Can you drive traffic using one method, only to introduce them to another way for a deeper connection? This is where getting to know your customer pays off. You can lead them through various channels, through different marketing methods to ensure they get the experience they are looking for.
Some people convert quickly. Others need hand holding for days, weeks, or even months. Build what they need, set it on autopilot, and let it help improve your conversion rates.
Make the layout user-friendly
Think about your conversion funnel
Once you know who your customers are, and understand how you can reach out to them in the best manner, it’s time to create a conversion funnel that follows how your users move through the purchasing process, giving them the right information along the way.
Great user flow doesn’t happen overnight. It’s something you build along the way to match what your prospects want and expect from you. But if you don’t define your user flow, a lot of your visitors won’t know what you want them to do.
Most marketers start by wanting immediate gratification. They create an ad to a sales page and want them to buy.
But what if you create a softer approach?
An ad to a landing page can offer a free report. The free report can provide a wealth of information, along with follow-up emails that further inform and educate the prospect. From there, you might direct them to different places on your website for additional information. You may send out a coupon for special offers.
And on and on.
Only you can determine the right path for what you’re trying to sell. You can only do that if you take the time to map it out.
Think of an ideal customer. Who are they, and what do they look like? Now map out the trail you want them to follow. Click on an ad. Sign up. Visit certain pages. Receive information. Buy.
Different customers may take different approaches. This allows you to dive deeper into the content you create.
Again, this isn’t something that you can do overnight. Instead, do it slowly over time. Start with one ideal client and build. Grow the pathway deeper. Then move on and do it again with another ideal customer in mind.
Over time, you’ll have a dynamic web presence that speaks to people in a variety of ways.
You’ll also have a dynamic following from people who love your message, and are excited about what you have to offer.
Is this the year you develop a strong conversion process, and get closer to your target audience?
