Learning about social media might seem to be a waste of time for a business. “Why should I concern myself with social media like myspace, twitter, buzz, and facebook?” you might ask. After all, if people are trying to network casually with one another, then wouldn’t they frown upon apparent corporate intrusion?
Have you ever walked into a grocery store, filled your cart with items, and then had to leave without making it through the checkout line? Most people don’t leave a grocery store without checking out once they’ve put items they want into their cart. Unfortunately for ecommerce businesses, this scenario happens all too often.
Can your cart abandonment rate be improved? Yes – Here are several things you can do to get people to buy instead of leaving their cart before they checkout.
Always start with a plan when you redesign a website.
Looking to redesign your website? If so, you probably have a list of things to check for usability problems.
Creating a customer friendly redesign typically means evaluating the current functionality of elements such as navigation, search, checkout process, shopping carts, and page design.
While each of these elements can influence usability and should be evaluated , don’t assume that checking off elements on a list like this one will give your customers exactly what they’re looking for.
Ideally, it would be terrific if every person on the planet were in need of your product; however, due to a variety of factors, only a segment of the population will see the need to buy what you are marketing, and it is these individuals that are your target market.
There are three phases of a successful testing project: planning, testing, and evaluating, according to Bryan Eisenberg and John Quarto-vonTivadar in “Always Be Testing”.
The planning stage allows companies to put together an actionable strategy that will enable them to target their tests in order to achieve the greatest results. It also allows you to set goals, determine current metrics, and decide how to evaluate changes.
The second stage involves actual testing. Since you already have a plan in place, you’ll be able to work methodically through this stage rather than randomly testing elements across your website. This is the stage in which you’ll design different versions of the pages you want to change in order to determine which one will work the best in accomplishing your overall goals for your website.
Finally, after you’ve completed your testing, you can sit back and take a look at the data you’ve gathered in order to determine what the numbers mean for your website. This stage will allow you to choose the most successful test elements and implement then in your web page with the goal of increasing conversion rates.
As we learned in the case study of Jigsaw in Chapter 10 of “Always Be Testing”, after strategically implementing this three stage process, Jigsaw achieved a conversion rate increase of over 200%
As you begin your testing strategy, you’ll be pleased with the results that come through methodical testing rather than random guesses. In addition, you’ll be able to apply specific results broadly by determining from them how your visitors interact with your site, thereby enabling you to improve overall site performance.
Your website may have hundreds, even thousands, of unique visitors each week – but what do those numbers mean if they aren’t purchasing your product?
Of course, the best ways to turn your visitors into customers are through your reputation and the value you provide, but improving your conversion copywriting can also help to transition people into the mindset to purchase your product.
Here are several tips to convert your casual, interested, and engaged visitors into satisfied, paying customers through conversion copywriting.
Your call to action takes top priority when it comes to conversion optimization.
No matter how great the rest of your site may be, weak calls to action will guarantee a low conversion rate.
On the other hand, a strong call to action can make up for some weaknesses in other areas of your site.
Take a look at these five tips for ideas on creating a call to action that communicates.
One of the things we always ask every small business owner we deal with is, do you want your potential customers to contact you, and we’ve never yet had anyone say no. Many respond with “why do you ask?” And our response is always the same – from the customer’s perspective it doesn’t look like you want them to contact you.