Are you the proud of owner of a website that looks good, but for some reason isn't pulling it's weight?
Wondering why?
It could be that there is not enough on your website to encourage multiple visits or touches with your business.
Sales and marketing people know that it takes on average seven interactions or 'touches' with your organisation before making sale. Each 'touch' takes the prospect further down the buying cycle so they become increasingly aware, interested and engaged in your offer and how it can solve a particular problem they have.
A prospect will need an average of seven interactions but it could be less if you sell a low cost product, more if it's a high priced item or more of a commitment. A touch includes face-to-face meetings, email, a visit to your website, download of an ebook, reading email newsletters, watching video, a social interaction or a phone call.
It might look something like this:
- An introduction by someone in your network
- A visit to your website
- An email following your earlier introduction
- Viewing a status update on a social site (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or YouTube)
- Another visit to your website
- A phone call or another email
- A face to face meeting
- Another follow up email .........then a purchase
Or - it might be a simple visit to your website, then another visit followed by a series of emails in the form of receipt of an email newsletter, several visits to your website and finally a call, email or visit and a purchase.
Or - it could be repeat visits to your website after following a number of social shares and content found via the search engines.
Encourage them to come back
You might think that you'll get people calling you straight after finding your website in Google. It's not that it can't happen, but these are in the minority. So your website should be designed to encourage them to come back, or take a next step such as sign up for your newsletter.
The easiest way to do this is by offering something like an e-book download, blog subscription, free industry reports, free trials and the like in return for an email address that you can then use to contact that person directly.
It is also possible that if you dominate the search engines and are all over social media that someone will simply come back organically because they keep finding your content in response to their searches.
But only if you have fantastic, unique and regular content will you persuade them to sign up for your 'regular newsletter'.
Freebies might not work
Offers of free audits, quotes, appraisals and reviews are common. But punters are wise to these tactics and know they could just be pre-sale information-gathering for you. They know that if they take you up on the offer they are effectively sending you a buying signal - and will be reluctant to do so unless they are ready.
To maximise the number of touches possible you have to create the desire to consume your content.
When you look at your website, ask yourself how well it encourages multiple visits and touches that add value (i.e solve a problem) for the punter in such a way that there is nothing in it for you
As you review it, ask what a first time visitor will see, a second time visitor, a third and a fourth etc.
If your site is just a sales brochure - even a pretty one - chances are it will only get one visit and no more – cutting down the chance you'll turn that visitor into a customer.
Want more?
Want more ideas or not sure where to start? Using AIDA to improve website conversion rates breaks the buying process down into digestible chunks so you can address each one at a time.
