Generating More Leads by Increasing Your Conversion Ratio

Generating leads from web sites has become a critical component of marketing strategy. The goal is to maximize your ROI by increasing your conversion ratio of your click-through traffic to sales leads.

Here’s the Math

Let’s say you have a traffic rate of 1000 visitors and then 20 inquiries per day. This is a 2% conversion rate. Now let’s say you increase your traffic 10% to 1100 visitors, with your 2% conversion ratio, you’ll get 22 leads. Now let’s put some effort into increasing your conversion ratio just 1%. Just this small increase in conversion will generate a total of 30 leads for a difference of 8 leads per day. Increasing your conversion ratio is the most effective use of your time and budget.

One of the best ways to increase your leads is through effective use of ‘The Call to Action’. It’s important that once your visitors land on your site, they are guided to an action. This action could be ‘Call for More Info’ or Download This White Paper’, or some similar act. Whatever you choose for your ‘Call to Action’, it must be clear and persuasive. There are many other ways to increase the ROI of your website.

 

The Launch of a Site

Local Orbit’s pilot launched in this past week!

While every site teaches me new things, this site has been really fascinating to strategize, architect, design and build. The site came out really, really cool, but what I love most of all is it’s sheer potential for changing the way food distribution happens. And in turn, this can make a very real impact on local economies. We, as a society, need modern ways to keep our middle class viable. A healthy middle class makes for a healthy economy. The advent of the big box stores, industrialized agriculture and conglomerates has put a lot of wealth into a few hands. Our world is seeing the consequences of this. Local Orbit can be a part of the change that our world needs. Local Orbit is the online way we can support our local communities in a sustainable way. Local Orbit puts control back into the hands of people.

I invite you to check out localorb.it to find out more.

 

6 Traits of an Effective Website

In order to list these traits within this short article, we will qualify it a bit. You see, a complete evaluation of an effective website should take into consideration search engine optimization techniques and metrics. For our purposes, I’ll stick with evaluating web sites from the visitor’s perspective, once they’ve landed at your site. I’ll leave SEO/SEM and metrics for another day. This list relays the traits of sites that will achieve objectives. The overall assumption is that you have determined your site’s objective.

1. Download Time / Speed
   If your site is slow to load, visitors will leave. It is a very simple fact that has not changed since the beginning of the ‘net. The typical culprit is imagery. Some designers and clients feel imagery is very important to their branding. You need to evaluate the quantity of images on your site and if you can accept the trade off of visitors leaving vs having them there surfing. While there can be many other causes for slow load times, you want to find what the cause is and speed up your site. If users are required to wait more than a few seconds, they will leave.
2. Scannability & Value
   A visitor must have immediate understanding of what your site is about. In a glance can your visitors, potential customers, understand what value you are offering? This is seemingly obvious, but you would be surprised how many sites have home pages that lack a clear message relaying benefits to their customers. They speak of features, while customers want to hear WIIFM – What’s in it for Me! In addition, layout is important for quick viewing. Using bullet points and bold text, you allow visitors to quickly pick out important concepts.Scannability of key point is very important online.
3. Navigation
   Can you get to and from sections and pages of the site easily? Is your navigation clear and consistent throughout the whole site? One very bothersome feature of poorly designed sites is when you get to a page and there is no navigation taking you back, or anywhere for that matter. In effect, you’ve come to a dead-end in the site. Sometimes there is the home button, but it really is an annoyance to have to go back to the home page to move ahead. In addition to this, is the navigation set up in a way that it is very clear to visitors where they are in your site? You can use a variety of techniques to ensure that they do not become “lost”.
4. Look/Design
   Does the site reinforce branding? Does the site look like others? Or is the look unique? A quality design lends credibility to a site. A good solid site designed by professional web designers who know how to blend form and function will pay back multiple times.
5. Content
   Content is King as the old saying goes. Recently I redesigned a site for a new client. One of the first things I do when evaluating a site is look at the stats. In this case, while his 6 year old site was in desperate need of a redesign, he was getting pretty good traffic. But the stats showed they were landing on the site and not staying around. After reading the landing page, they left pretty quickly. The reason they found his site was the content, as the search engines picked it up. He is an expert in his field and he has good valid information. Visitors would quickly read his article and then leave, ignoring his services. Our job was to pull it all together and have the traffic convert to sales. The site just launched in the last month. Our hope is that with his excellent content and the new design that follows all best practices, he will see a good increase in sales. He’s already gotten some early positive feedback from visitors.
6. Credibility
   Building in credibility is a key factor. The above 5 items down will certainly contribute to credibility. There are a few other items that will factor in. Having testimonials on your site is one good way to show that others have used your services or products and have been pleased. Others are making sure that there are no typos and your grammar is correct.

If you have anything to add to this list, please let me know. I’d be happy to hear from you.

 

Why Information Architecture?

Information architecture is the backbone of a website. It’s critical to the success of a site that information be organized so that users find it simple and intuitive to use. If the user cannot find the information, it doesn’t matter what your site has to offer. You could have the key information visitors are looking for, or the best products at the best price. None of this matters if they can’t find it. The importance of a site’s organization cannot be underestimated.

Thinking through how information is grouped will allow a site to develop in an intelligent fashion. Whether this is your first site or your 10th, it’s important to go back to the ‘drawing board’ with all your content and lay it out in outline formation. The basis of this outline will become your navigation. Users come back to sites in which they can easily navigate to find their information. It is important to the success of your site that the navigation reflects the information architecture.

Design follows function here and your design will be reflected by your navigation. A cool and hip, fun and funky, or a sophisticated corporate look will come, but your site’s design must be based on a smart and intuitive navigation.

 

Building Solid Client Relationships

In December the phone rang and my client called to ask if taking me to St Thomas might be a good thing for our web strategy / build project. She had an excess of frequent flyer miles and wanted to use them wisely. Being a Michagander, I said… yes. How could I turn this down?

Jumping ahead 6 weeks, here we are on our first full day. We spent 4 hours today working on developing personas, as well as some linguistic analysis.

This is the 3rd or 4th site that I’ve been commissioned to build for her company. She is a great example of a wonderful client. What a creative use of her frequent flyer miles!

For me, the relationships I build with my clients are of the utmost importance. But the relationships go beyond that. How do I build them? I listen to them. I hear them. I respond to them. It’s vital that they can rely on me to provide them with the most current thinking on internet marketing strategies and tactics. They all know I am not a “yes person.” I challenge their ideas to ensure that we are going down the right path. And, it is a “we.” I’m in it too. If they don’t succeed, then I can’t. While they are the client, I am the expert in online exerience. That is what they are paying for.

My clients become my friends, and sometimes, my friends become my clients.

 

Strategic Planning for a Web Site

The successful web site is built on a thorough analysis and understanding of needs. Asking some basic questions will help determine the direction on your site. The very first thing to do is to define your targeted audience.

Here are some basic questions to help assist your process:

1. Why are they coming to the site and what are their expectations?
2. What is their level of expertise in your field?
3. Are they existing customers, are they staff, or are they surfers looking to gain knowledge?
4. Do they come with expectations?
5. Will the site offer products and services, customer support, or simply serve as a company “presence” on the web.

Interwoven with determining your target audience is exploring your market segment and what motivates your users. This will directly affect your marketing strategy, copywriting, level of interactivity, and promotional efforts. Some of the questions are:

• What is the purpose of your site?
• What is your site’s mission?
• Will you need to have content developed? An online application?
• Are you selling a product or service?
• Who is your specific audience?
• Who is your viewer?
• Why are they coming to the site and what are their expectations?
• What is their level of expertise in your field?
• Do they come with expectations?
• What are your web site needs?
• Do you want it to be ADA compliant?

It is important to answer these questions, and more, and to perform an in depth analysis of your web site strategy first. This is the basis for building your site. The more upfront planning, the smoother your project.

 

The importance and relevance of blogging for marketing a conference

Typically, my clients have been living in what I’ll call ‘traditional’ marketing. They have been immersed in the world of print, sending out waves of marketing collateral. First it’s the save the date postcard. Then a flyer with more details. Then a pamphlet. Oh sure, they definitely will have the content on the web site, and send out regular emails with updates and calls to register.

But it can be so much more!

It’s About Engagement

The 4 I’s of Engagement (from Forrester):

Involvement—Includes web analytics like site traffic, page views, time spent, etc. This essentially is the component that measures if a person is present.

Interaction—This component addresses the more robust actions people take, such as buying a product, requesting a catalog, signing up for an email, posting a comment on a blog, uploading a photo or video, etc. These metrics come from e-commerce or social media platforms.

Intimacy—The sentiment or affinity that a person exhibits in the things they say or the actions they take, such as the meaning behind a blog post or comment, a product review, etc. Services such as brand monitoring help track these types of conversations.

Influence—Addresses the likelihood that a person will recommend your product or service to someone else. It can manifest itself through brand loyalty or through recommendations to friends, family, or acquaintances. These metrics mostly come from surveys (both qualitative and quantitative).

So, how can this relate to increasing registration at a conference? Blogging is a means to more publicly release the same information as you might in your emails & web site. But you are also able to reach out and build community, buzz and visibility. Ask questions and LISTEN to the answers. Write about your presenters, ask what your attendees want.

There is another side to all of this. It’s not all about your own blog. Get involved in other blogs that relate to the topic. Read and comment on blogs.

Here is my take on the 4 I’s

Involvement – Get involved in blogs that relate to the topic of your conference. Mention them in your blog. Tweet about your blog. Reach out and get involved in the online community within your target market.

Interaction – Ask questions, listen and respond accordingly. It’s about the conversation that you are building

Intimacy – Speaks to the emotion that you are creating. A goal is to get people passionate or excited to be involved in your community. This intimacy is a bonding agent.

Influence – The goal is that with the above three I’s in place, your community will be influential with their peers. Therefore, not only registering for your conference, but forwarding posts on, creating a viral marketing effort.

 

How to Evaluate Speeches Effectively

I’ve been in the Ann Arbor Toastmasters and Friends Club for 2 years. It’s Fall and that means it’s speech contest time again. In the Fall it’s for Table Topics & Humorous speeches, while in the Spring is the International Speech and the Evaluators Contests. Toastmasters has been key in improving my communication skills. Having better communication skills has changed my whole approach to EVERYTHING. But this is another topic. Today, I’d like to review questions that help one evaluate a speech better. Or, if you flip this on it’s head, here is a list of questions to think about in preparing your speech. This doesn’t apply only to Toastmaster speeches, but this list will help anyone improve their speaking engagements and audience response.

Over all general questions:

• What is the objective of the speech?
• What is the primary purpose?
• Did they achieve this goal?

Introduction:

• Was the introduction appropriate to the speech and audience?
• Was it appropriate to the audience size and target?
• Was the opening effective, did it have a hook?
• Did it clearly establish the intent of the speech?
• Was it memorable?

Body:

• Was the body of the speech focused?
• Were there statistics to support arguments?
• Did they use metaphors and symbolism?
• Was it organized logically?
• Did the transitions flow smoothly?

Conclusion:

• Was the conclusion concise?
• Was it memorable?
• Was there a call to action?

Delivery Skills:

• Was the speaker enthusiastic? How did that show?
• If there was audience interaction, was it effective?
• Was the stage used appropriately?
• If humor was used, was it appropriate and effective? Relevant?
• If there were visual aids – how effective were they?
• Posture, were they confidence and poised?
• Were gestures natural and timely?
• Were there any distracting mannerisms?
• Was the speaker easy to hear?
• How about eye contact?
• Were soft and loud variations used appropriately?
• How was the pace?
• Was the language easy to understand?
• Were rhetorical devices used? (Repetition, alliteration, the rule of three)

Intangibles for overall evaluation:

• How did it make me feel?
• Was I convinced?
• Would I want to listen to this speaker again?

 

LISTENING to the Client

The phone rings and the request is for a new web site. They know that their site, as it is now, isn’t working. It’s my responsibility to figure out exactly what is not working and how to best serve their needs. It starts by me asking lots of questions and LISTENING to them. Questions like:

• What goals do you have for your company, short and long term?
• What do YOU see as not working?
• What are your customers/clients asking about most?
• Who are your customers/clients?
• Who is finding you now through the internet?
• Who do you want to target?
• When do you expect to have a new site up an running?
• Where are you located?
• Where are your clients located?

Listening to their answers is an art. There is a balance between what they are saying and projecting my own twist. My goal is to communicate clearly in language they understand, how I can fulfill their requirements.

The way I achieve this is with the old stand-by of repeating their questions in my own words as a summary. In my proposals, I use an executive summary to recapture this conversation.

 

Writing an Effective RFP

Writing an RFP can be a daunting task, especially if the project is something that you have little expertise. If this is the case for you, try to collaborate with a content expert. As a web designer/developer I’ve been on both sides of the table. I’ve been a consultant assisting with the writing process as well as a respondent. Having been on both sides, I’ve a unique view on what it takes to generate a well-written RFP.

There is a line between adding too much information and not enough. Your goal as the author is to give enough juice that your respondents can give you a valid reply, but not too much to limit the creativity of the respondents. They can bring to the table a great wealth of information and talent. They will become your team for the duration of the project and your goal is to find the best available.

Your RFP will set the tone and structure for the project. If it is organized properly, it becomes the guide for the process. You’ll want to include background of the company, a summary and goals for the project. It’s a good idea is to put in your expected timeline of the RFP process. One of the general goals of good project management is to keep it on schedule. What better way is there, than to start it off with one?

Dates in your RFP process timeline might be a pre-proposal Q&A session, the proposal due date, potential bid winner interviews, contract award, kick-off, expected project completion.

Most projects are subject to the triangular foundation of time, quality and price. The project descriptions you provide will relay the quality you’re seeking. Quality and price is in the ballpark of the respondent. These are the variables you’re attempting to gain control of with your RFP. I read somewhere that one can get a sense of the whole project’s temperament by the bid/contract award process. If the process becomes thorny, the project itself is doomed to go that route. Obviously the opposite is true as well. So far, this has been consistent with my own observations

Whether I am writing an RFP or responding, my goal is to break the items down into self-contained modules, or deliverables. I’ll extract these and put them on a time line and monetize it. As an example, let’s say I want a calendar in my application. As the writer of the RFP, I’ll define all the elements that I want in the calendar. These can be; general description of the calendar, event description, date, time, toggle on repeat daily/weekly/monthly, alarm etc.

Putting in this type of detail will allow the respondent enough information to determine the who, what, how and how long, and the quote intelligently.

Along with the actual project details, you will want to outline the contractor’s responsibilities. What do you expect of them? Do you want them to only use employees? Or is it okay for them to hire contractors? Do you want to know who the contractors are? Do you want veto power over their selection? Do you want a firm company representative? You’ll also want to ensure that you put in selection criteria.

Most of all, you need to realize that you are building a partnership. This is team building at the very least. Try to keep it all in the positive vein.