EDUCATE PROSPECTS, GENERATE LEADS AND INCREASE CONVERSION RATES

For most people, the decision to buy is not instantaneous.
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They don't just see an ad and then go buy the product. There is a period of product exploration, comparison and thoughtful consideration before they take the next step. This exploration phase will mostly happen online and will consist of web searches, website visits, reading reviews (often user reviews) and asking friends. Depending on the product category this phase of the customer journey can last for days, months and in some cases--years.

Here are some keys to accelerating your prospect's decision making process and increasing your conversion rates:

Map a path to genius

Create a touch point map showing the communication platforms that will be used (websites, email, printed literature, videos, person-to-person contact, etc.) and the sequence in which you expect prospects to be exposed to each platform. Also create a hierarchy of brand information and determine which pieces should be communicated at each point of contact. What you end up with is a path to becoming a genius about your product.

Now look at what motivation a prospect might have to move from one informational platform to the next. If there is no obvious or inherent motive, create one. Incentivize prospects to keep moving down the path.

Optimize all your web assets for search engines

The information gathering process most frequently begins with a web search. So, a high priority is optimizing the text and coding of your website to raise your ranking in search engines. The most important search engine to optimize for is Google. Also implement an "offsite" SEO strategy. This primarily involves links to other related online content. Augment these search tactics with a paid search initiative. (Sometimes, paid search is the only way to guarantee your brand's presence on the first results page of a search, particularly if your website is new.) 

Increase conversion rates

Your web assets must not only engage, inform and delight, they must also capture leads and do it as early in the customer's exploration phase as possible.

The key to increasing conversion rates is to capture more than just names and contact information. The goal is to understand, in so far as possible, the interests and motivations of each prospect and segment the prospect database into groups with similar profiles. Then instead of blasting the same messages and offers to everyone, you customize messages and offers based on the segmented profiles.

To accomplish this you will need to implement technologies that track and record website visitations (and other digital platforms) at an individual prospect level. This technology needs to interface with campaign automation technologies that will automatically send the right message, to the right person, at the right time based on a set of predetermined behavioral triggers. 

Leverage social media

The problem with everything brands say about themselves is the inherent distrust prospects have, knowing that the brand is hoping to make a sell. So, prospects are always looking for third party endorsements. The reason social media has become so important to marketers is because of the platforms in which people talk about the things they like (and don't like) about the products they've used. The credibility of your marketing increases dramatically if the brand's claims are reinforced with third party endorsements.

So, adopt technologies that monitor the social conversation to first understand how the brand is perceived. Then link prospects to third party endorsements. You might consider developing a platform or web application to aggregate and present what people are saying about your brand.

Motivate purchase

Sometimes, all that's needed to motivate purchase is information… but not always. To accelerate the process, create time sensitive promotional incentives that lend a greater sense of urgency to moving forward with the purchase. Experiment with different offers using A/B tests or multivariate tests to determine offers that maximize conversion rates and increase ROI. 

Why Richter7

Richter7 is experienced in these tactics and technologies. We help you map out your lead capture/lead nurture program and we can build any of the digital, video, audio and printed assets needed. We understand the tracking and campaign automation technologies and we can help you implement them. We can also manage your campaigns, implement a testing process and continually optimize your ROI.