Say it with me, Conversion

Recently, a friend and fellow marketing mind, Hubert Sawyers III, reminded me about the need for all messages to create action when he wrote this post on his blog Frying in Vein. Action is key for a business to garner responses that move the consumer down the sales funnel. This is perfect material for the Hand Raiser Marketing team. We love talking about inspiring consumers to engage further with businesses to increase sales; it’s the water to our gills. While marketers are not charged with ringing the cash register, they do need to convert consumers. It’s not easy but a necessary part of the marketing equation. So, say it me me, conversion.
Conversion can mean, getting an email, inspiring inquiry, inspiring a phone call or getting prospects to walk through the door of a business. Many tactics can be used to convert, but certainly one mantra that will always ring true is “make it easy.” A business will want to have contact information prominently placed on their website, where reader’s eyes will naturally flow. In general, a business will want to make sure they have ways to be contacted on every page; they will likely need to reduce clutter and be where their customers and prospects can find them. For instance, a destination business will need to have accurate information on Google Places, Yelp and rank high on search pages. 

Businesses also need to be found where the eyes are. Classified sites, search engines and compelling content can get you there. It shows your credibility and begins the process of making potential consumers feel as though it is easy to do business with you.

Also, don’t be afraid to entice, then restrict content to only those that show a level of commitment vis a vi their personally identifiable information (PII). Once people have a convincing reason to want more, they’re more than willing to increase their commitment if they’re serious buyers. And that’s what you want, right?!

Next, make sure you do some testing. Assuming you have the perfect communication is arrogant and uninformed. When emails are sent out, play with the day and time of day they’re sent. For instance, emails sent on Tuesday convert at a higher rate than Friday. Depending on your product, you’ll have variance in when prospects are willing to engage. Also, feel free to mess around with email subject lines, colors and copy of all your communications. Find out what action words work best and utilize that for similar questions asking for similar products.

A few months ago, I was sending out communications for an event. The original subject line received a 12% response rate. The next week, we tried adding the words “Exclusive Event” to the beginning of the subject line and saw that week that almost 60% of those emails were read. Subsequently, registrations jumped 20% as well. Later, we added an additional spot for registration on the website and saw even greater registration.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask! For anyone that played sports, they know that you can’t score if you don’t shoot. Some rhetoric about social media has scared some businesses away from asking for action. That makes about as much sense as driving with your elbows. You can do it, but you’ll likely crash. While there is a fine line from requesting information or further inquiry to being an annoyance, the savvy marketer will surely take the right opportunity to invite greater interaction.

Get out there and convert! Any good conversion stories you want to share?