There must be very few businesses in today’s multi-media world that do not have a website or some kind of online presence – but how many of them do you think are actually making money from it? I’m not talking purely about e-commerce or advertising revenues, but those whose websites are supposed to give their visitors a compelling enough reason to pick up the phone or make a further enquiry. Sadly the answer is very few.
Is your website full of ‘diverted traffic’ signs?
There are some fundamental reasons for these uninspiring conversion rates and the first one is simply this: People are more interested in the visitors or ‘hits’ number than the conversion. Companies are ‘paying’ huge sums of money (I simply couldn’t bring myself to type the word ‘investing’ there) to create traffic, only to have them sent off in a different direction by the diversion signs when they arrive. There is not a strong enough motivation there to make them stick around and find out more.
There is a clue to the answer within the common phrase ‘to capture someone’s attention’.
In addition to having great headlines which resonate with your perfect customer’s biggest needs and engaging pictures, videos and content which tell them how much you understand those needs, you have be able to find out who they are. Think about it for a moment – when was the last time that you visited a brand new website for the first time and began reaching for your wallet? Most people would, at the very least, google the company first.
But you might be interested in the additional information that they were offering – free – which not only recognised a pressing issue that you have in your life, but also promised to present a solution. That might get your attention!
It’s a bit like the old ‘try before you buy’ scenario where a supplier is given the opportunity to prove their worth at zero risk to the consumer. What better way to start a relationship built on mutual benefit and value which could go on to last a very long time indeed? In return, the visitor simply gives the website owner their email address, or in other words the website ‘captures’ their details.
From capture to nurture and from nurture to sales…
This is where the ‘being held against your will’ connotation of the idea ends… it really isn’t like that! Capture simply means you then have an opportunity to speak to your visitor again about solving the issue that you now know they have, or at the very least have thought about. If you are looking to build relationships with clients in your business then you are doing your customers a massive disservice by not offering the benefit of your expertise when they have clearly indicated that they might have a need. You at least owe it to them to find out.
By keeping in touch and supplying more information to your visitors you are proving your worth and nurturing the relationship. That means building a foundation of trust – which is always the best place from which to deliver a sale.
If you would like to find out more about how ‘data capture’ or ’lead magnets’ will help to grow your conversion rates and increase sales, please get in touch.
