Internet Marketing Strategy
Introduction to Conversion Optimization: SES Toronto Presentation by Jason Wells
Jun 20 2012
At SES Toronto this week I had the pleasure of moderating the panel discussion on conversion optimization. I already posted about Gary’s Presentation on 20 Optimization Tips, so today I wanted to share with you tips from Jason Wells, CEO of ContactPoint.
Jason set the stage at #SESTO by sharing information about what a conversion rate is and why it matters.
According to Jason, conversion rate is the most critical statistic in marketing because it is directly tied to profits. It is a direct measure of effectiveness.
Conversion rates are the % of people that DO SOMETHING you want them to do… having them visit your website isn’t enough – what ACTION do you want them to take that will lead to a sale? What do you want people to do? Fill out a form, request a demo, call you, etc.
The key is using a path of conversions leading someone to a sale. From a marketing perspective you think of it as: 1) Marketing Qualified Leads, Sort of Sales Ready Leads and Sales Ready Leads.
Average conversion rates are between 1% an 10%, but a GOOD conversion rate is simply one that is improving. Conversion rates can vary dramatically depending on the type of conversion, and how far along someone is in the buying process.
In his experience at ContactPoint, white paper landing pages averaged a 41% conversion rate where as request for demo landing page averaged a 7.5% conversion rate. Since each rate is at a different stage in the purchase cycle, you can’t exactly compare them.
Most people don’t buy immediately – the goal is to create a series of actions that ultimately lead to a purchase. After each conversion should be another conversion that reflects where someone is moving in the buying cycle. For example, from a white paper, they should then get the opportunity to get a next step that is appropriate – like request a demo.
Utilize all of the real estate that you have. Every time you have someone infront of you, give them the opportunity to convert and take an incremental action.
Also, forms are typically more effective than buttons (because they can be completed immediately).
1) Goals
– What do you want to achieve
– How difficult is it? Do you need to have smaller goals to get someone to the final objective? Do you have to offer them something?
2) Headline
– Clear, concise
3) Crips Copy
– Journalists rule – as few words as possible
4) Call-to-Action
– Make it crystal clear – what do you want the visitor to do? What are they getting in return?
5) Fields
– How many is too many?
– Stepped collection of data – start wiht the least amount of data
– Make the first step easy and then ask for more information afterwards
6) Phone Numbers
– Include a phone number on your landing page
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