Today there is so much focus on driving traffic to our websites, our blogs, our articles, our social sites, our YouTube page and so on. Thousands of articles have been written, books published, companies established all for this purpose. To drive traffic.
But perhaps in our mad rush to promote, there are times when a business owner might stop and ask, “Okay, I’ve got all this attention… now what?” This is a great question to ask yourself, even if you think you already know the answer. Why is this? Because just as important as promoting our online real estate, either through internet marketing and / or traditional advertising and marketing techniques, we have to know what to do with that attention when we get it.
You see, your blog, your articles, your Facebook page, your YouTube videos are all great places to drive traffic to. But really, they themselves are meant to drive that traffic to the end point, which is your website. Your website is the best marketing tool you have for several reasons. First, you have control over it and what gets put on it. Second, you have a virtually unlimited number of ways that a site can be built and modified to serve your customer.
After all, those great sites we mentioned above, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and even this one, are just larger and more complex version of a simple five page info site. A website can be anything you want it to, and do almost anything you desire.
So with that in mind, let’s review a couple of ideas on how you can turn your website into a conversion machine. After all, that’s the goal, isn’t it? To convert a visitor into a paying customer, or at the very least, an active participant?
Idea #1 – Sell them something
Admittedly, this is hardly a revelation. E-commerce is one of the most obvious means of turning a website into a revenue producing marketing tool. Really, though, this idea can take on many forms that may not be so obvious.
For example, aside from the online store, you might sell memberships to a program you’ve built, or provide your “real world” customers with a means to pay for a membership online. This idea can be taken further and you can provide a payment portal for all sorts of non-internet related functions like rent, subscriptions, service fees, etc etc.
Another way you can sell something online is to provide an educational program, be it a live series of webinars, audio or video course, interactive learning tools and more. The visitor can pay a registration fee and gain access to your knowledge base.
For non-profit organizations, the website can be a way to collect donations. It’s safe, easy and convenient. In addition, because it’s all done online, the donator can receive information or downloadable goodies as a way of saying thank you.
Think about the idea of a resource hub. For instance, on one side, members pay to post ads seeking transportation of goods. On the other side, members can pay to post their ability and availability to transport goods. By being paid members, each side is matched up by the system.
We won’t go into all the ways a website can collect money, but as you can see, this is a great use of your online real estate.
Idea #2 – The Opt-In Offer
This is a great way to engage and keep engaged visitors to your site. By providing them with an inside value, you will build a voluntary email list to which you can market in the future. In exchange for joining your list, you give the member something of value, an inside scoop, a discount, a little educational material and so forth.
A couple things to watch out for here. First, don’t’ scam people. Deliver what you promise when you promote your offer. There’s nothing worse than thinking you’re getting something great when you put in your name and email and then getting the shaft instead.
Secondly, you must adhere to the anti-spamming laws. Always provide the people who have opted in a way to opt out and unsubscribe from your mailing list. This is critical and an actual law.
Remember that once you have a list, keep in contact with them. Send out regular broadcasts of things of interest. Make sure it’s not too frequent as you’lll bother people, and not too infrequent so that you get lost in the junk mail. And also keep in mind that you don’t want to send out nothing but ads for your products or services. Make a good portion of the broadcasts useful and free info.
Idea #3 – A newsletter or E-zine
This is somewhat similar to your opt in offer, but slightly different. When people sign up for this, they will get a regularly scheduled bit of info spelled out at the time of registration. But what’s great about this is that not only does your newsletter or ezine contain great tidbits, you can put ads, special offers and more.
But just as before, adhere to the anti-spamming laws and to the rules of common courtesy. Treat people who have volunteered their name and email with respect and you will find that you keep a lot more of them, and your list will grow steadily over time.
Idea #4 – A free membership
The reasons for this are as limitless as your own imagination. And it’s yet another way to build a voluntary email list. But by allowing people to sign up for something, you can give them all sorts of things in return.
Your membership might be to download an app, or a widget, or get inside access to your frequent updates of news, financial info and more. A membership might allow the member to schedule and pay for cleaning services or other “real world” services.
You might provide a forum for discussion, or a networking system for your members to interact with you and each other. People love to express themselves, so giving them a forum to do so will keep them engaged and interested in you.
Idea #5 – Presentational material
When you get people to your website, use it for what it’s intended. Use it as a marketing tool. Present your information in a creative and engaging way. If at all possible, create a brief overview video about you and your company. Provide multi-media resources such as testimonials, service info and more.
You want your website to reflect the quality and pride you take in your company, and yu want it to convert the visitor into an active customer. Remember the mantra of marketing A.I.D.A. Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.
There’s no better place to do this than on your website. Present yourself in a clear, interesting way. Think of your site as a salesman that is on duty 24/7.
This is hardly a definitive list. You need to think about what you do and how you can engage your visitor. But that is the point. Engage them, grab their interest and keep it. People are taking the time to check you out, so give them a reason to and to come back. The web is a very competitive and chaotic place, and the surfer is generally impatient and has little time for boring or rambling info. Be clear, concise and creative.
