“I used to think communication was the key until I realised comprehension is. You can communicate all you want with someone, but if they don’t understand you, its silent chaos.” – Robert Mugabe

Communication and comprehension have changed significantly in the age of the internet; consumers are bombarded with information from all across – news applications (TOI, Dailyhunt), social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), professional networking platforms (LinkedIn) and most important and perhaps the most impactful - personal messaging services (WhatsApp). With the choice of a multitude of platforms to communicate with the consumer, one needs to decide what kind of information should be placed on what platform- Content and Context

Traditionally businesses would drum up business by running ads on TV, radio, producing print ads, making cold calls, and selling door to door. It has worked to some degree, but let’s face it, consumers don’t necessarily buy a product only on the back of advertising.  All consumers want all relevant information on the product/service before they decide to purchase.

With the internet being the go-to for information, businesses simply need to adapt to the customer’s natural process for buying something to the digital world through inbound marketing. The internet, in combination with inbound marketing, allows the customer to go at their own pace, research solutions to a problem, find businesses offering that solution, purchase their product, tell friends, and repeat.

A website is a gateway for converting leads into sales. Your website is your advertisement to the world, and if it’s not effective, you won’t be competitive.

The website is the first opportunity that most businesses have to make a good impression. A website is a gateway for converting leads into sales – the site, therefore, needs to have all the relevant information about your business.

Your website is your advertisement to the world, and if it’s not effective, you won’t be competitive.

How well a website generates leads will determine its success. Because, even if a business is still dabbling in some traditional advertising (which is a good thing), the bulk of leads will come through the web. Here are some tips to make sure your business website generates leads and prioritizes the best ones.

Also read: 7 tips to make your website user-friendly

Assess your current position

Before making any changes, it’s best to assess and take stock of the situation.

• What kind of traffic are you getting right now?
• From where’s the traffic coming?
  
  

You can get answers to these questions by using analytic tools. Social media posts, Email marketing, Blogs, and Chat help are some areas that you must track.

During the assessment process, it’s vital that you also find out which pages of your website customers are most likely to generate clicks. Are you getting a lot of clicks on a timely, long-form post, or are customers clicking a link from an Instagram post? Knowing where most of the leads are coming from can get you off to a good beginning. Start by updating the content on pages that give you the maximum hits.

Beef up the content where you are getting excellent traction and cut out pages where you don’t see much traffic.

Consider rethinking your strategy if the traffic to your website is low. Answers to these questions will give you an excellent place to start:

• Why aren’t people interacting with you on Facebook?
• Are you posting the right type of material at the right time?
• Do you have enough visibility?
  
  

Also read: Ways to increase traffic to your website

Emotions play a massive role in genuinely connecting with your consumer

Humans crave attention – and we’re overwhelmed by the array of online businesses competing for our attention. It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle if you don’t find a way to connect with the consumer truly.

The excellent news for businesses is that a Harvard Business Review study found that consumers can — and will — emotionally bond with a brand. Through the research, they discovered that people have hundreds of different emotional motivators. The top ten motivators that inspire people are:

• A desire to stand out from the crowd
• A desire for confidence in the future
• A desire for well-being
• A desire for freedom
• A desire for feeling like they belong to a greater whole
• A desire for individuality
• A desire for security
• A desire for adventure
• A desire to be successful
• A desire to help the environment
  
  

If you can leverage your website to tap into at least some of those motivators, then you are well on the way to creating an emotional bond with the consumer. When you ensure that your website stands out from the crowd, you tap into the consumer’s desire to stand out from the crowd.

Content Marketing – the new language for conversations

Content Marketing is the latest buzzword. According to the Demand Metric, content marketing generates three times as many leads as outbound marketing at a third of the price. That’s nine times the value of traditional outbound marketing.

Use content marketing wisely. Ensure that all content available on your website has backlinks on all social media platforms so that your website’s key search words will help your website rank higher.

Content marketing is a lead generation strategy that involves creating original content that engages with your target audience. In business, content marketing most often takes the shape of a blog (like the one you’re reading now!). Blogging is one of the many tried and tested methods of content marketing. You can also create videos, podcasts, eBooks, tutorials, webinars, entertainment - anything that can generate excitement for your target audience if it brings in revenue on its own (through advertising or affiliates), even better.

Use content marketing wisely. Ensure that all content available on your website has backlinks on all social media platforms so that your website’s key search words will help your website rank higher. This, in turn, will bring you more visitors on the platform.

Also read: Why is content marketing the best affiliate marketing strategy?

Forms help convert visitors into leads

Do consider changing the layout of your website; add forms on every landing page or on those pages where you are getting the most traffic. If your site already has forms- make sure to add/shift those to your high traffic pages.

Forms help you convert visitors into leads and leads into customers. To make sure the conversion form is effective, follow these simple rules:

• Place the form above the fold: This is helpful in case the person doesn’t read the entire page. The first paragraph and the content of the form may be enough to motivate them.
  
  
• Make the form brief and simple: You don’t want the form to be too long or invasive. Don’t ask for phone numbers or addresses. Just get the basics, like the person’s name and email address
  
  

Building credibility is a constant – Consumer testimonials

A customer’s buying journey begins with the realization of a problem, need, or desire. Once they identify the type of service or product they need, more often than not, they begin researching similar products or services and often get overwhelmed with the endless choices available.

For most customers, the choice may often boil down to the trustworthiness of the company. Here is where testimonials and reviews can swing the vote in your favor. Your credibility gets a terrific boost when existing customers vouch for you with a stellar testimonial.

Do add testimonials to your website – create a whole page of authentic testimonials, and if possible, keep them fresh and up to date.

Make sure the website is fully functional and flexible to add plug-ins

The fast pace of technological advancements creates a dynamic environment.  Not keeping up can prove to be detrimental to your business. Just like your apps and operating systems need regular updates – your website also uses many Plug-ins that help stitch everything related to your brand in the world of internet.

Ensure your hosting platform allows you to install the new plug-ins while updating regular ones. These plug-ins are an integral component of how a website functions optimally

Continuously monitor the progress and analyse the results

The only way to know if your website is generating traffic is to monitor the progress and analyze the results continually. You can test a couple of different strategies to see what works best for you.

You can check how well your plan is working by running A/B tests. An A/B test works by taking one piece of content and changing one variable, resulting in two different options to test against each other. The variable can be the place you post it, some part of the content itself, your form, the call to action, the color scheme, images, font size, white space, and more. Testing is a great way to make those tweaks and perfect your website to bring in more leads. Once you have the two versions, you’ll be able to determine which one generates more traffic.

Conversion a continuous process - Be prepared for the long haul

In an ideal world, you would be able to turn leads into conversions in a matter of hours, every interested customer quickly becoming a purchasing customer. Unfortunately, this is not how things work in the real world. 48% of businesses reported that lead conversions require a long cycle of nurturing interest across several different influences, according to a survey by Ascend2.

What does this mean for you? Expect to follow up your leads for more prolonged periods rather than relying on impulsive purchases. Customers will want to be educated on your service and product and be familiar with your brand before making a final decision. This process can take anywhere from several weeks to a few months, depending on the type of product and its value.

Fortunately, you can engage in long-term conversion with your customers by using the strategies in this article. Adding to a blog, working on your email chain, creating video content, starting a podcast - all of these things can lengthen the customer journey long enough to bring your leads to the point of conversion.

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Article source: Darshan Bhatt – CEO, Goquest Digital Studios

Image source: shutterstock.com

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