Archive for ‘Consumer Behavior’

May 9th, 2012

10 Essential Tips You Can Use to Convert More of Your Visitors into Customers

Online business is all about conversion. Naturally, if your conversion rate is low, it makes no difference how high you’re ranked on Google. Ultimately, your success or failure will be determined by your conversion rate, which means you should focus as much energy on converting your traffic as you do on getting the traffic to your site in the first place.

Here are some simple techniques that can help you improve your conversion rate.

1. Build trust through quick response
You may have your email address and your phone number listed on your website, but how quickly do you respond to an inquiry from a potential customer? People desire a quick response from a real person. A simple prerecorded voice on the telephone is the surest way to put off a potential buyer. An auto generated email response may be quick, but it lacks the human touch. Try to follow-up in person as quickly as you can.

2. Make contact information easy to access
Sometimes your contact information is tucked away in a remote corner of your website. You should make it easy for visitors to see your contact information. Make the phone number and the email address standout on the first page itself. If possible, have a toll free number on your website. This may be expensive, but it will prove a worthwhile investment in the long-run.

3. People hate hidden charges
Don’t surprise people with add-on or hidden charges. If you have international shipping, then you should display clearly the charges a customer will have to pay for delivery. This helps to build trust and confidence which, in turn, helps improve conversion.

A successful e-commerce site is about more than just driving traffic. It's also about converting that traffic into customers.

4. Make your pages easy to read
Make sure your information easy-to-read and error-free. Sloppy work does not inspire confidence. If you display that you are sloppy with your website, you cannot expect people to buy from your website.

5. Include an “about us” page
If you don’t have an “about us” page, then you are never going to improve your rate of conversion. You need to inform people all about who you are and what your company does. If possible, give a brief description and history about your online business since this helps to build trust.

6. Make your website visually appealing
If your website does not have a visual appeal, then your conversion rate is always going to be poor. The first page should always have a few images and, if possible, at least one video. Current data suggests that adding a short video introduction to your website can improve your conversion rate significantly.

7. Offer a freebie
Another great tool for raising the conversion rate is to offer a freebie on the website. If you can offer a free downloadable product such an eBook then you can raise your rate of conversion considerably. Some websites offer free utility software or other premiums. No matter what you offer, research indicates that freebies often pay for themselves by improving conversion rates.

8. Make your website accessible on mobile phones
Gartner predicts that by 2013 the number one way people will access the internet will be via a mobile device. Given that, it’s important that you’ve optimized your website to be mobile-ready. (For tips on how to do this, read “How to Build a Mobile Website” on the 60 Second Marketer blog.)

9. Make certain all links are live and working properly
When was the last time you checked the links on your site? It’s important to have live links that work well on your site. Links that are dead will kill your conversion rate. As time consuming as this may be, it’s worth having someone go through each page of your site to test all the links.

10. Drive your visitors to action
When a visitor lands on your page, he or she should feel compelled to take action. Make certain that you use words and phrases that call a visitor to read on and explore the website further. This will improve the rate of conversion as well. (For more on this topic, read “The 14 Most Powerful and Effective Words in Marketing” on the 60 Second Marketer blog.)

These are just some of the ways you can improve their rate of conversion and become successful on the web. Do you have any tips of your own? If so, share them in the comments section below.

Sam Mauzy is a marketer and blogger who has learned much of what he knows by trial and error while improving his own site’s average conversion rate and sharing his knowledge and tips in marketing forums.

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January 7th, 2012

Why the Second Purchase is the Most Important Purchase You Get from a Customer

The most important purchase you get from a customer is the second purchase.

Why do I say that? Because a two-time buyer is at least twice as likely to return and buy again as a one-time buyer.

So then the question becomes, “How do I get a one-time buyer to become a two-time buyer?”

Typically, that involves a combination of good customer service and the good sense of value. A good sense of value is achieved when a customer feels as though they’re getting more of your product or service than they paid for.

For example, a Mercedes Benz is typically twice as expensive as a Volkswagen. Given that, you might assume that Mercedes Benz’ market share would be significantly less than Volkswagen’s, but it’s not. They’re almost equal (1.9% for Mercedes Benz vs 2.2% for Volkswagen).

A two-time buyer is more than twice as likely to come back again as a one-time buyer. So your primary goal for your business is to get repeat purchases.

Why?

Because while a Mercedes Benz is twice as expensive, the perceived value is 2.5 to 3 times greater than a Volkswagen’s. Customers who pay twice as much for a Mercedes Benz feel as though they’re getting 2.5 to 3 times more value for their purchase.

See how that works?

How all This Relates to You
When you’re thinking about how to sell more of your products and services, you can start by understanding how people make buying decisions.

Remember, most people make buying decisions in one of three ways:

  1. With their gut
  2. With their heart
  3. With their mind

People who make decisions with their gut are intuitive, non-linear thinkers. They don’t analyze a purchase in a structured “A…B…C” way as much as they analyze a purchase in a less-structured “A…Q…Z…Y…C…oh, look, there’s a bird outside my window” way.

People who make decisions with their heart are driven by emotion. If your target market is driven by emotion, you’ll want to work extra hard on establishing a strong, meaningful brand.

People who make decisions with their mind are logical, linear thinkers. It that’s your target market, you’ll want a feature-oriented, benefits-based marketing campaign.

Key Points to Remember

  • The most important purchase is the second purchase because those customers are twice as likely to purchase again
  • Customer service and perceived value are two of the key drivers for repeat purchases
  • Most people make buying decisions in one of three ways: their gut, their heart or their mind

Posted by Jamie Turner, Founder of the 60 Second Marketer and co-author of “How to Make Money with Social Media” and “Go Mobile.” He is also a popular marketing speaker at events, trade shows and corporations around the globe.

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July 22nd, 2011

How Coca-Cola Uses the PUSH! + Play App to Keep Consumers Coming Back

The secret to creating a good smart phone app is to develop one that has three key qualities:

  1. It gets consumers to use the app over and over,
  2. It provides consumers information about the brand, and
  3. It does so in a fun, non-salesy way.

The new PUSH! + Play app from The Coca-Cola Company accomplishes all of those things quite brilliantly. (Disclaimer: The Coca-Cola Company has hired me as a keynote speaker in the past.)

Instead of trying to do something that pushes the commercial side of Coca-Cola on users, they’ve created an app that creates engagement in a light-hearted, enjoyable fashion.

If you’re interested in seeing what makes the app so successful, watch the 60 Second video below which highlights the apps best features.

Enjoy!

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June 7th, 2011

Top 5 Features of Next Generation Mobile Websites

Are you Mad about Mobile? Well, Thomas Lichtwerch is and thinks you should be, too. Thomas and his team at Mad Mobile in Tampa, Florida design and build mobile websites and applications for top brands and retailers including Pier 1, Suzuki, Hunter Douglas, TJ Maxx, and Disney just to name a few.

Mad Mobile’s advanced technology and expertise can quickly convert the content and functionality from your desktop sites into mobile form. And the bonus is they can do it with little impact to your IT group.

Why take your brand mobile? Mobile is one of the fastest-growing platforms in the world. With 40% of U.S. mobile subscribers regularly browsing the internet on their phone and a projected 12.5% of all e-commerce transactions going mobile by the end of the year, it’s a channel that you need to be aware of. According to Google, mobile web traffic will surpass PC traffic by 2013.

Mad Mobile can transform elements of your regular website to seamlessly become part of your mobile website.

The mobile web space is flourishing with retailers creating innovative mobile-friendly browsers for consumers. And they are seeing the benefits. According to Mad Mobile, retailers have reported higher conversion rates and larger order sizes due to mobile-friendly websites.

So, what can we expect to see from these next generation mobile websites? Well for starters, they feature animations, layered menus, touch events, offline caching, embedded video and location awareness.

There’s a lot going on here, so Mad Mobile breaks down the top 5 Features of Next Generation Websites:

1. Hero Shots: The glamorous model shots and glossy product photos on retail sites are now going mobile. Developers have the capability to create animated rotating shots while incorporating touch events. Consumers have the opportunity to browse with a simple flick of the finger allowing for increased engagement and interactivity. Not to mention it’s FUN!

2. App-like Experience: ‘Mobile-web apps’ is what they’re calling it these days. Native apps provide speed and easy functionality capabilities. Now your mobile website can, too. Next-gen mobile sites include sliding menus, quick sort functionality and product list views that change without reloading the page. This means consumers can see your products quicker and get to the check-out line in no time. This translates into more conversions and less abandoned shopping carts.

3. Location Awareness: This is key. Mobile sites leverage the geo-location API to track users current location allowing them to provide relevant content specific to user’s surroundings. Looking for a product, but don’t know if it’s stock at your local Pier 1? With geo-location capabilities you can now find out!

4. Zoom/move product images: It’s no secret our smart phone screen is significantly smaller than the typical desktop. Product photos and information appear smaller, but ZOOM is a game changer. Zoom and move capabilities allow users to see the products in more detail. This easy function enables consumers to make smarter buying decisions.

5. Social Media Integration: Outside of email, social media ranks as the top mobile activity. Mobile and social go together, it’s that simple. Integrating social media platforms into the mobile website help brands engage with their consumers ultimately increasing the amount of time they spend with your brand. Include social media and you will enlist your viewers as brand activists, giving them the power to share your site and products with Facebook friends and Twitter followers.

If you’d like to read the full report, click Mad Mobile.

If you like what you read today, you can have these blog posts delivered to your in box each morning by clicking here. Or, you can sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter by clicking here.

Rebecca Wilson is a Marketing Analyst for the 60 Second Marketer.

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June 3rd, 2011

Don’t Optimize Your Web Pages, Optimize Your Customer’s Thought Sequences Instead.

I’m at the Marketing Sherpa and Marketing Experiments Optimization Summit sponsored by HubSpot. The morning keynote was delivered by Dr. Flint McGlaughlin who is the CEO of MECLABS, an internet optimization laboratory.

Dr. McGlaughlin said many interesting things this morning, but the key thing he said that was particularly insightful was this:

Don’t Optimize Your Web Pages. Optimize Your Customer’s Thought Sequences.

This is such an important concept I’m going to say it again: Don’t optimize your web pages, optimize your customer’s thought sequences. (Side note: I’m actually going to have this tattooed on my cat’s forehead. I like my cat, but I’m not afraid of using him to further my career.)

If you’re like many people trying to get the most from your marketing, you’re analyzing ways you can improve your website’s performance. You might be trying to improve conversion rates, reduce your bounce rate or increase visitor’s time on site.

Dr. McGlaughlin's saying is so smart, I'm thinking of having it tattooed on my cat's forehead. Okay, maybe not. But what he said really is that good.

All of those are terrific goals and should always be clearly-stated — but the starting point for any marketing communications program (i.e., website, brochure, print ad, direct mail letter, etc.) is to get inside the mind of your customer.

When you get inside the mind of your customer (or, when you think backwards, as my friend Jerry Brown likes to say), you can start analyzing how your customers engage with your products and services. And when you do that, you’ll find that revenue growth will soon follow.

How to get inside the mind of your customer: Let’s say you’re an ad agency or web design firm and you’re presenting to a new client prospect.

If you’re like most ad agencies, you’ll kick things off by telling the client prospect three things:

  1. What your billings are
  2. How long you’ve been in business
  3. Who your key staff members are

If you did that — and you know who you are — you’ve made a classic mistake. The truth is, most clients don’t give a damn about any of those things. After all, can you imagine a marketing director telling their CEO, “We hired XYZ agency. They have 147 employees! Can you believe how lucky we are? 147!”

Ain’t gonna happen.

But if you get inside the mind of your client prospect, you might take an entirely different approach. In fact, if you analyzed your client prospect’s thought sequences, you’d start the meeting by mentioning these three things:

  1. Who your clients are (the bigger, the better)
  2. What you do (i.e., SEO, social, mobile, paid search, etc.)
  3. What your results have been (e.g., 10:1 ROI for XYZ client)

In the end, those are the only three things you need to tell a client prospect in an introductory meeting. Telling them who your clients are validates that you’re a successful agency; telling them what you do confirms that you can deliver what they’re looking for; and telling them your results lets them know that you can generate revenue for them.

Optimizing Your Customer’s Thought Sequences: The example I gave above is slightly different from what Dr. McGlaughlin was talking about during his speech, but it illustrates a key issue — the starting point for any successful marketing campaign is to get inside your prospect’s mind and analyze their behavior.

By doing so, you’ll be on your way to greater market share, better ROI and, best of all, more revenue.

If you like what you read today, you can have these blog posts delivered to your in box each morning by clicking here. Or, you can sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter by clicking here.

Posted by Jamie Turner, Chief Content Officer of the 60 Second Marketer, the online magazine of BKV Digital and Direct Response. Jamie is also the co-author of How to Make Money with Social Media.

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