Business Learning Center

As a company devoted to helping clients achieve, and often exceed, their business goals, it always amazes us when we see how often we see companies that have no idea of how to convert browsers into buyers.

This is especially true when companies try to conduct business online. Businesses do a good job of attracting visitors to their websites, but a lousy job of turning visitors into clients or customers.

Companies use banner ads, pay-per-click advertising, e-mail campaigns, search engine optimization (SEO), online newsletters and other vehicles to attract potential customers and clients.

That’s the easy part.

Once you have succeeded in getting these targeted visitors to your site, it is essential that you send those visitors directly to a page that is designed to get the visitor to take the action you desire. The “action” may be providing an e-mail address, requesting a quote, downloading a white paper, subscribing to a newsletter or even making a purchase.

SpaFinder’s “Deal Days” landing page was a huge success thanks to clear messaging, a strong call to action, and a clean, sparse design.

What does it take to get your visitors to take the action you desire?

Make the Process as Simple as possible

Your visitor has already shown enough interest to click through to your landing page. Maybe they like your advertised product. Perhaps they are interested in your services.

If your advertisement was for a specific product, make sure your landing page features that product prominently, makes the product look as desirable as possible and then makes it easy to take the next step and purchase the product. A prominent “Add to Cart” or “Purchase” button can prompt them to move forward.

Similarly, if you are a service provider, provide a clear and compelling explanation of your services and then provide a simple, intuitive way of taking the next step:

• Request a quote
• Speak with a customer service representative (especially effective if you have a link to a live person)
• Get more information

Do not clutter your landing page with multiple offers or offers that have nothing to do with the offer that drove the visitor to your site in the first place.

Test, Adapt, and Adjust

One great thing about the web is that you get immediate feedback on your marketing campaigns. Create several landing pages, each with variations of the same basic messaging. Monitor your conversion rates and then either choose the landing page that works best or be prepared to overhaul your messaging with a new landing page.

When we create landing pages for clients, we always make sure there are multiple pages ready to go before the campaign is launched.

Don’t Bury the Offer

Web visitors are a fickle and demanding group. Make sure that the essence of the offer is fully visible on the screen the moment they click to your landing page. Making the site visitor scroll down to get to the heart of the offer is a sure-fire way of drastically reducing your conversion rate.

Give the Visitor a Reason to Act Quickly

If you are offering products or services, give the visitor a reason to buy or request a quote immediately. It can be a one-day sale, an offer limited to first 100 respondents, a one-time discount-or even a second-by-second countdown (popular among group-buying sites and penny auction companies).

Don’t Overwhelm your Visitor with Too Much Copy

There is always a danger of providing too little information, but a huge danger of providing too much. Visitors to your website aren’t looking to read paragraph after paragraph of dense information. A quality marketing copywriter should be able to deliver your marketing message effectively and succinctly. It may be a delicate balancing act, but you are far more likely to convert traffic with a brief and focused message.

Capture Their E-Mail

There was a time when people were generally reluctant to provide their e-mail addresses. That time has passed. FTC regulations punish marketers that abuse e-mail. By capturing your visitor’s e-mail address you can create an ongoing relationship that allows you to send more messages to an individual who has already expressed interest in your company, services, or products. While the visitor always has the option of unsubscribing (by law), you have at least established a potentially profitable line of communication.

Capturing More Detailed Information

Once you have captured the visitor’s e-mail address, you can then give them the opportunity to provide more detailed information. Never force this on the visitor. Instead, frame it in a way that makes the visitor feel that the information provided will be to their benefit:

• “For special local offers, enter your zip code.”
• “For faster customer response times, please enter your phone number.”
• “We offer discounted rates to students and some professionals.”

This is an effective way to practice “price discrimination”: strategically lowering prices in order to capture revenue that you would otherwise miss. Many magazines and informational sites, for example, will offer a cheap student rate, knowing that students are unlikely to pay for a regular subscription, but may be willing to pay the going rate when they renew. Getting zip codes (or even area codes) can also help you price products at what consumers are willing to pay. A buyer in Manhattan is likely to have more disposable income (and higher everyday cost benchmarks) than a buyer in rural Montana; if you can charge them both what they’re willing to pay, you can maximize your profit.

In Conclusion

As any business owner know, getting your customer to walk into your store (whether bricks and mortar or virtual) is only the first step in the sales process. Nailing down your sale or otherwise converting your visitor into a customer or client requires clear messaging, powerful calls to action, and, of course a product or service that serves the visitor’s specific needs. If you are not happy with your current conversion rates or are just embarking on a new marketing or sales initiative and are looking for expert advice, please give us a call at 212.260.1978.