The conversion funnel

Now let me help you understand why there’s a funnel at the top of a page. When you think about the process of capturing a lead or making a sale, you need to think about the entire process like a funnel. You start with a lot of people and only end up with a few people. Your goal with this funnel needs to be to figure out a way to GET AS MANY PEOPLE INTO IT AS POSSIBLE! Plain and simple. The more you can convert visitors at the top of the funnel the more likely you are to get more people out the bottom.

How to get people into the funnel

Conversion Opportunities

I talked about making sure you have lots of opportunities to get people into the conversion funnel, this means at least one point of entry on every page. I say, at least one, the more you can tactfully have on a page the better. Just make sure the page still looks natural and pleasing.
Just think about having forms on every page or links to the contact page or links to products and check out carts. You might be tempted to think they will go through one logical process from beginning to end, but that is unlikely. You still want to be able to convert visitors that just never learned to do things the same way everyone else did.

Optimize Wording

Now that you have the frequent entry points you want to think to yourself, “is there a better way I could say that?” Perhaps you want someone to call you, you would probably say “contact us” or “call us today!” (pretty good right?… maybe not.) If you’re an accident attorney you might want to put “Get your free situational analysis” or “let the healing start today.” These are phrases that may resonate with what the visitor is thinking at the moment. Your website needs to be as well thought out as any advertisement or english paper, every part of navigation or action to be taken needs to be analyzed – could it be said better, made bigger/more attractive or does it need to be moved?

Soon enough you’ll look at your site as more than a yellow page ad for the internet and as a productive machine! There is no real science to this, so you’ll need to do a lot of trial and error to find out what works best for you. Eventually you’ll figure out how to better convert visitors into leads and will no longer feel the need to look up at the big boys… they’ll be looking at you.

The content of your site needs to be tailored to the different groups of people who browse your website.  The more information you have about your customers and their purchasing habits, the more likely your site will be able to convert these leads.

Keep track of visitors’ browsing habits and display information that is relevant to them (not just what they buy, but what they look at).  If someone has a history of buying sports apparel, be sure to show the latest athletic endorsements.  If you have foreign customers, be sure to display the international shipping option.

This strategy works even better if you have data on how these customers got to your site.  For example, customers brought to your site from a pay-per click ad may have different shopping patterns than those who come to your site as a result of a Facebook promotion.

Traffic and visitors that are driven to the website by social media means should be reminded why they came to your site.  For instance, if the promotion was “Facebook fans get free shipping on their first order,” this should be displayed on every page until the visitor checks out.  Consistency is the key to maximize your conversion rate!

Finally, testing out your page and your process will tell you where improvements can be made.  Find the optimum design for graphics, buttons, and even shopping cart options.  You will be surprised to see that even small improvements in site layout can increase average order value and overall conversion rates.

Attribution is the process of crediting keywords or campaigns (or touch points in general) with a specific conversion so you can tell what is driving your traffic. As you look at your traffic keywords or click through words it is likely you will see that your most specific phrases are the most successful at generating traffic and revenue. However, there is a huge gap in the reasoning here.

Think about the last time you searched for something you didn’t know very much about. You probably started off with something pretty generic (TV cables). This got you to a website that helped you learn more about what you’re actually looking for. Then you searched again with more specific knowledge (Monster Cables). Again, the same thing happens, finally you find exactly what you need, so you do one last search – (HDMI Monster Cable). Well if you only consider your reporting software, it would seem like the phrase “HDMI Monster Cable” is your money maker and thus the only one worth investing in.

What you have to consider though, is the entire process. If the previous more general keywords weren’t in place the customer would have never gotten to your page. It is a little bit like a stair case that is missing the bottom three stairs, the ultimate pay off is in the top stair but all of the stairs below it contribute to the end result (ok, maybe this is a bit of a weak analogy, but I think you get the point). Now you can cut your general words and pray that they end up getting to your site with the specific words OR you can run all the words which will ultimately increase your odds of landing a conversion.

What we have done is a thorough attribution of touchpoints. (This is also something to consider for other forms of advertising – TV,Radio, Banner Ads,etc…). The point then, is to fully consider the entire customer conversion process and how to help your online presence meet all the needs along the way.

But the creativity doesn’t end there. Some business-to-business companies have begun to break into the social media realm and find ways to advertise and increase business. With the number of businesses trying to advertise and make a name for themselves, why shouldn’t these businesses be advertised to as well? Don’t they need the services that other social media marketers can offer?

It should be obvious, but a lot of people don’t recognize the potential of B2B marketing through these channels. Social media appears to be useful only for reaching individuals on a broad scale. But who runs these other businesses? Aren’t CEOs, Marketing Directors, and Entrepreneurs people too? Social media is the perfect opportunity to reach out and begin businesses relationships. Recently, Leadgenix found a very large account because of a connection on a popular social media site. Two people from different companies realized through this online communication that they could use each other. And the best part? This social marketing that resulted in a big contract cost absolutely nothing.

Just as with B2C social media marketing, the key is to be creative. There are no guidelines or restrictions. Blogs, social sites, videos, and more provide great opportunities to connect with other professionals and create useful business relationships. It’s up to you and your company to use social media marketing services to build your business.

Website opt-in form

One of the easiest and most effective ways to generate new quality leads for your business is to install an email opt-in form on your business’s website. An opt-in form is simply a little form you put on your website that allows your website’s visitors to input their name, email, phone number, etc for more information about your business, a free report, or anything else you might offer your visitors in exchange for their information.

Get involved with social media

Another great way to generate leads is to create a Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn page, etc for your business. You can then establish your brand and leverage that exposure to increase your business leads. And if you provide incentives to your followers to tell their friends about your business, your exposure can grow exponentially.

Create a blog

Write a blog about things related to your business and include an opt-in form and links to your social media pages and website. You can create as many blogs as you like on free blogging platforms like Blogger.com.

Although simple, the above tips can help your business succeed by generating quality leads. If you’re looking for more ways to increase the quality leads coming into your business, LeadGenix.com provides many solutions for lead generation.

Lead Generation is similar to a leaky bucket. If you stop filling your bucket with new leads you will run out of business. Here are ten easy ways to help you with Lead Generation.

1. Referrals – Your past clients can be your biggest asset to finding new leads.

2. Web Site Response – Staying in contact with new visitors to your web page will bring you fresh leads that are already interested in your product.

3. Sphere of Influence (SOI) – Begin with your closest friends and family working outward to reach strangers who you might only have 30 sec. to talk to. Create a short approach to contacting them in a personal way.

4. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) – Many people are still comfortable contacting you through a hot-line number for more information.

5. Signs – Eye-catching signs are important for company branding and drawing people to your website or hot-line number.

6. Radio and TV Ads – If it’s in your budget to run a television ad it can definitely be worth the return. Radio ads are often overlooked, but a ear-catching radio ad can be an inexpensive way to hit your target market.

7. Direct Mail – Because it can be expensive make sure you check what your competition is doing and stand out from the crowd.

8. Print Ads – A bold call to action can help your print ad stand out from the crowd of other advertisements.

9. Networking – There are thousands of networking possibilities. Do your research and make sure your network is secure.

10. Prospecting – This can be one of the most reliable ways of Lead Generation and should be done in the morning because it is a more controllable time of day.

Lead Generation can be a great way to keep your business flowing. Don’t get to comfortable thinking that your bucket will never dry up and run out of leads.

Blogging was once only considered to be an online diary for those who wanted to share their lives and opinions. Now it is being used to promote businesses, run political campaigns, and give publicity to topics that would otherwise go unknown. One benefit of optimizing your blog is that it can be used to increase lead generation.

Businesses often use a blog to be more personable with their customers. The company can utilize customer feedback and input on products or services to satisfy the customer’s needs and wants. You can increase lead generation through better understanding the consumer of your product and maintaining good communication with them.

Blog posts should be written daily to maximize the possibility of indexing by search engines. If your blog is constantly up to date there is a better opportunity for future customers to find your blog. The blog posts should promote goodwill information and understanding that can promote sales through links to the owner’s website.

Comments on your blog from customers can help you to better understand how you can reach out to potential customers. Your blog builds connection and links between the company and its key audience which helps the company use this network over time to improve overall business. Building a relationship with your current customers will help you to increase lead generation for a future consumer base.

An effective blog will help your customers to feel that there is a “real” person who is interested in helping them understand their product and industry. To increase lead generation you must maintain your blog through updates that give your followers a reason to return for more useful information.

Lead generation business strategies can work for most types of companies. It is a profitable strategy because it tends to be very cost effective and can easily provide leads that are successful in selling products or services. Many times lead generation leads have already been seeking out the service that is provided by your company.

Lead generation can help you quickly get more clients for your company and help your business to flourish. Success in lead generation starts with brushing up on sales and marketing skills. Sales and marketing skills partnered with lead generation will convert leads into sales.