Many businesses have put a lot of time and effort into finding ways to draw attention to their business, but find that their conversion rates are still low while the bounce rate is much higher than they would like. If you’re one of those, then you’re probably here looking for some solutions to implement without breaking the bank or pulling your hair out.
Let me start by saying:
Don’t just do more. Do what you’re doing better.
Chances are you’ve already got some digital marketing strategies in place. That’s fantastic! We are not urging you to pour more hours, days, and weeks into this than you already have. But there are some simple things you can do taking a different angle that can help you increase your conversion rate and up your sales.
Here are 7 practical tips:
1. Maintain a Quality Online Presence
This is the first and most obvious, and maybe you’re already there, but consider this your friendly reminder. When it comes to your online presence–website, social media, etc.–quality and consistency is key.
People who find your business online are looking for signs of trustworthiness. This can come through, consistency, quality content, personalization, clear messages, and a great UX on your website. Maintain these, and your conversion rate will increase naturally.
2. Have Obvious First Steps on Your Website
Know where you want your visitors to end up before they even find their way to your site, then set it up so everything on your site leads them in that direction. Provide clear first steps for when they arrive.
You definitely want your prospect to become a conversion, but what kind of conversion are you looking for, exactly?
One way to help with this is to establish a clear and measurable business goal specifically related to the actions they will take upon first arriving to your website.
Another pointer: remove any and all unnecessary distractions. Again, you want to offer them a clear path to the conversion, so keep it clean and sweep the path of anything that might redirect them. This is as true for individual pages.
3. Utilize AB Testing
Again, you want to have clear and measurable goals and methods. Having measurable results is the only way to know, in detail, how and why your conversion rates are or are not where you want them to be.
One of the most sure ways to measure the results of the content your putting out is through AB Testing. AB Testing is, in simplified terms, the practice of testing something against something else by utilizing both simultaneously and seeing which gets better response.
For example, if you are running an ad campaign and you’re not sure what offer will get the best results, you would run the campaign both ways, having an AB testing tool show 50% of viewers one version and the other 50% the alternative version. Over time, it will be clear which offer gets better response, and you will have that data to utilize next time.
This strategy could be used in any capacity from headline, to layout, to offer, etc. And it is especially effective for PPC ads.
4. Establish Your USP (and emphasize it everywhere!)
What is your Unique Selling Proposition (your USP)? What sets you apart from your competitors, and why should your prospects choose you over them? If you don’t know, that’s likely where your problem stems from.
Once you have established you USP, you should be emphasizing it everywhere–on your website, your social media, your ad campaigns. In some way or another, everything you put out should be a reflection of what sets you apart and who you are as a company.
Why? This gives your business a personality. It establishes your credibility and trustworthiness by showing your prospects that you are more than a company with an online face. You are also the people, ideals, and story behind the company. You are unique, and you can offer them what they are looking for and more.
5. Simplify Your Buying Process
If you think about your own online buying, this one makes so much sense. Over complicated, information sucking, clunky purchase processes are a deterrent to say the least.
Conversionxl.com came up with this fantastic list of suggestions for simplifying your online buying process and increasing sales:
- Tell your users what they should do next
- Do not give users too many options
- Ask to fill as few fields as possible
- Do not force users to sign up in order to buy
- Offer free shipping
Learn more about this in greater detail (and other ways to increase conversion rates) here.
6. Test and Measure Results
We’ve said it a couple times already and we’ll say it again for the people in the back: Have measurable goals.
With measurable goals, you can test and measure results, which is absolutely vital. You have to make sure back-end metrics are in place to quantify results.
When you have established those goals and set up a means of analyzing the results (whatever tools you choose to do so), you will need to create and maintain a database so you have a point of reference and comparison in the future.
7. Remember the Sales Funnel
To tie everything together, here is another reminder for you: Remember the sales funnel.
- Awareness
- Consideration
- Decision
This is the order in which you draw prospects. If you skip steps, you are far more likely to lose out on a conversion. People have to be nurtured down the funnel. If you jump right to “decision,” you have not left any room for establishing trust or convincing them of the value and credibility of your company and product. The chances of a sale are slim.
Each of the 6 steps before are action steps that will encourage a natural implementation of the sales funnel approach.
If you have done all you know to do, and you’re still not getting the results you want, follow these 7 steps to get started in improving your conversion rates. Ultimately, you won’t just be doing more; you’ll be doing what you’re already doing, only better.
If you’re looking for expert advice and help with your digital strategy, contact us at Brown Creative Group to schedule a free consultation today.
