Increase Conversion Through Trust

Guest post by Ran, online marketing manger of Wood and Beyond 

Whether you are selling a product online or promoting a service, the days of evaluating your success based on traffic to the site are probably over. Today the name of the game is how well you are able to convert your traffic to undertake the desired action which profits your business. If you are selling online the desired action is a purchase, and if you are promotion a service the desired action might be a phone call lead. To achieve your goals you must first create high level of trust with the potential customers.

How to increase conversion rates by creating trust with potential customers:

Add a privacy statement - Similar to the way in which customers are trained to search for the lock symbol (also know as site secure) when buying online, some look for 'privacy statement'. This statement describes what you as the business owner intend to do with their information and in some cases included in the site's terms and conditions. By adding a privacy statement you will increase your credibility and boost customer trust making it more likely to convert well.

Add your contact information - Perhaps the biggest impact on conversion rates is listing full transparent contact information including phone number, email address, physical address and even an picture of your office building. Whether buying a product or ordering a service customers are looking for reassurance that the business is solid and should the need arises they will be able to contact the business.
 

Add testimonials and reviews - When it comes to using testimonials and reviews to increase conversion rates you might ask 10 people different and get 10 different answers. Clearly there's no definitive answer, however even if it works to convert a small percentage of customers it is worth adding. By posting real testimonials and reviews, some glowing and some less, you will increase your credibility and likelihood of conversion. Make sure to add new testimonial often to give returning customers the impressions the business is very much active.
 

Show 3rd party accreditation - Are you a member of any professional organization? Has your business won any awards lately? If the answer is yes, make sure to write about it. If the answer is no, consider listing even basic associations such as a Yellow Pages icon if your business is listed, a PayPal icon if you are selling online and accepting PayPal etc. Associations and 3rd party accreditation will help your business get that authoritative brand image and help increase conversions.
 

CHeck your grammar and spelling - These mistakes and typos could be extremely damaging to your brand and also quite tricky to find in time. Consider getting a second pair of eyes to proof read any new content as customers sometimes associate your level of content with your ability to deliver high quality products or service.

How do you increase conversion rates?

Emerging online marketing trends

Seriously, are you still using your website as an online brochure? If you are, you are missing the boat. And that boat is a Party Boat hosted by your competitor’s with all your customers on board . . .

 
Emerging online marketing trends


Source: IMGBranding

Published: Friday, September 25, 2009
 

• Increased adoption of multi-channel distribution models - Regardless of wherever else you sell, you need to be selling online. Consumers and even brick and mortar retailers have come to expect it and accept it. Marketers are collectively seeking new, profitable revenue streams for their goods and services, and online is the most efficient option with the lowest barriers to entry.
• Continued migration of allocated marketing dollars into online from traditional media - The shift will accelerate, with money flowing into online promotion from traditional vehicles such as television, radio and print. It’s hard to compete with efficiency, flexibility, customization and interactivity.
• Continued evolution of social media - Social media is all about conversation and engagement. Get comfortable with this new technology and get past the misconceptions. Less than 5% of Twitter users are teens and twenty-somethings. And the fastest growing group on Facebook is Women 55+. Your customer is online. Are you?
• Changing role of the Web site - It’s not just an online brochure anymore. Your site should be a dynamic and interactive extension of your brand that captivates, motivates and facilitates customer loyalty. Keep content fresh. Facilitate social networking. Encourage dialogue. Measure results.

Sustainability trends that are changing the business landscape

Recently, we launched a new DBA.  Because we registered it with the City, it was avilable for all those who market to new businesses.  Within days a flurry of junk mail ensued and no less than 4 telephone books showed up.  In the Age of the Internet, why on earth are we producing telephone books and more importantly why are we chopping down trees so that I can recive 4 new telephone books?  It was a DBA, which means I already have the other telephone books from the existing business.

We can opt out of junk emails, but when do we get to opt out of junk mail.  I realize I am dangerously close to becoming Kramer when he tried to stop the Pottery Barn catalogs, but really in our desire to save the planet - can you spare me another piece of junk mail?

OK, I did a little Googling and most phone books are made from recyled paper - bully for them.  Is there not still a carbon foot print in producing and distributing these books?  And many come wrapped in plastic - don't even get me started.  And I am not alone.

Sustainability trends that are changing the business landscape.

Source: Environmental Leader

Published: Friday, September 25, 2009 
 

Interest in all things “green” continues to grow as the economy sinks. About 34 percent of people are now more likely to buy environmentally responsible products and 44 percent of consumers indicate their environmental shopping habits have not changed as a result of the economy (Cone Consumer environmental survey 2009).

From offline to online.

Brands can no longer hide behind their TV ads or billboard posters because of the power of online search. Consumers can find information about anything, anytime, and they are actively seeking information about the brands with which they interact. In 2009, it is going to be increasingly important for brand image to match company behaviour. After all, 81 percent of UK consumers place more importance on what companies do than what they say (The Drum 2008). So it is about clear, genuine, authentic messages that promote transparency, as this research shows there is a positive correlation between transparency and trust – It’s about being tangible.

From printed papers to digital development.

Digital marketing has provided new tools for brands to reach their audiences; the development of online videos, social networks, podcasts and games, highlights that the digital marketing space will continue to expand. A consumer’s online experience can significantly affect future behaviour; 81 percent of consumers are more likely to return to the website if they had a good experience (Cosmetics Design 2008).

Brands will increasingly use online spaces in 2009 to communicate with consumers. Digital means that today the brands that will win, will be those whose consumers and other stakeholders tell the best stories. It’s no longer a one-way narrative, it’s about a two-way conversation.

Are keywords dead?

Back in March, we asked this question.  Most of you thought if they weren't dead, they were probably on life support.  Here's what Google had to say recently -

Google doesn't use the "keywords" meta tag in our web search ranking.

What does this mean? Should we eliminate keywords?  There are those who say save the space, don't include them.  Google acknowledges keywords neither help or hurt you at this point (your not penalized for having them), and there are some other sites that still look at them.  Further, Google hasn't ruled out that it may revisit using them in the future. 

Bottom line it's the content that makes the difference.  If you want to have your site show up in Google, there will be need to be some keyword density in your text.

Top 10 Websites

Alexa.com has released the latest Top 10 Websites by Traffic. Google has taken over the #1 dethroning longtime holder Yahoo! Even more interesting is that Facebook has surpassed Yahoo!, as well. Google has three properties in the Top 10 with Google, YouTube and Blogger - do not underestimate the power of Google! Can't think the folks over at Yahoo! are to happy about the slide.

Also interesting is who no longer on the Top 10 - MySpace so two years ago - bye,bye. AOL? Who? What? Distant memory. Seriously, when was the last time you checked your Myspace account? Actually, MySpace is #11 and AOL is #35. Twitter is #13 - expect Twitter to surpass MySpace in no time.

Microsoft Live is #5 - I'll be talking about some of their cool tools in upcoming posts - I never rule out Microsoft.

What does this all mean? Google is still King and social networking is taking over. Making Google happy should be the goal of your SEO efforts. And if you haven't gotten on the fFcebook bandwagon, what are you waiting for? Facebook allows you to integrate with your own blog and your Twitter account - post once - send it across all your networks - Interactivity is tbuzz behind Web 2.0!

1. Google
   

   google.com

   Enables users to search the Web, Usenet, and images. Features include PageRank, caching and translation of results, and an option to find similar pages. The company's focus is developing search technology.
   

   
   
2. Facebook
   

   facebook.com

   A social utility that connects people, to keep up with friends, upload photos, share links and videos.
   

   
   
3. Yahoo!
   

   yahoo.com

   Personalized content and search options. Chatrooms, free e-mail, clubs, and pager.
   

   
   
4. YouTube
   

   youtube.com

   YouTube is a way to get your videos to the people who matter to you. Upload, tag and share your videos worldwide!
   

   
   
5. Windows Live
   

   live.com

   Search engine from Microsoft.
   

   
   
6. Wikipedia
   

   wikipedia.org

   An online collaborative encyclopedia.
   

   
   
7. Blogger.com
   

   blogger.com

   Free, automated weblog publishing tool that sends updates to a site via FTP.
   

   
   
8. Microsoft Network (MSN)
   

   msn.com

   Dialup access and content provider.
   

   
   
9. Baidu.com
   

   baidu.com

   The leading Chinese language search engine, provides "simple and reliable" search experience, strong in Chinese language and multi-media content including MP3 music and movies, the first to offer WAP and PDA-based mobile search in China.
   

   
   
10. Yahoo!カテゴリ
    

    yahoo.co.jp

    有料審査制のディレクトリ。ウェブサービスの形でAPIを公開。

Was Your Installation Successful?

So, I hadn't yelled at the tech folks (and I use tech very, very loosely here) over at 1and1 in awhile. There is a weird glitch with 1and1 that doesn't allow you to automatically upgrade the WordPress. I decided to upgrade it manually causing all kinds of problem,s not the least of my own stupidity on not backing up first - yea, I know!

While I didn't have high expectations, I figured maybe I'd get lucky and they might be helpful. I called tech support, and lo behold I talking to a call center in the Philippines. I explained the compatibility issue with WordPress and the resulting errors. The agent then asked "Was the installation successful?"

Yes, the installation was successful - that's why I am calling tech support. And all that background info about incompatibility and error messages - that was just me kidding. "Was the installation successful?" Are you f*@!#ing kidding me? Normally, this is the point where my head explodes and I loose it. Instead, I hung up, uninstalled the upgrade, and the site was back. I also backed up the site for good measure.

I then called GoDaddy and reached an agent in Arizona. "I just wanted to tell you my intallation was succesful!" I figured if I am supposed to call and tell them when my installtion in successful, I'd call the one service provider who consistently gets it and who seamlessly integrate all my applications like WP and Joomla. Guess which providor will hosting all future web projects?

And they told two friends . . .

Understanding the concept on social networking -

When I was a kid, you know back in the stone ages - there used to be commercial for Breck Shampoo - "and you told two friends, and they told two friends, and they told two friends . . . The idea was that happy customers would share their experiences with friends, who in turn would pass it on. Ultimately, this became known as viral marketing.

Fast forward to the 21st Century, and this is the premise behind using social networks for marketing. You post something, your friends read it and pass it on to their friends. Great! Marketing all done! Well, not exactly.

The problem is not every thing you post is compelling enough to repeat. Trust me, it's not.

In order for social networking to work as a marketing medium for you - what you post must be interesting, have value and be compelling to pass on. Let's go back to the ladies of Breck. If Becky simply told Jan and Sue "I went shopping for shampoo, today," then Jan and Sue would have nodded approvingly (actually Sue would have rolled her eyes) and the subject would have quickly moved on to Jan's new Dorothy Hammill do. But instead, Becky told the girls that this new product left her hair soft, shiny and cured split ends and they should try it. Now this was different - the value? soft, shiny hair and a call to action - you should try it!

While your fan base may put up with your posts about what you had for breakfast - they really want to know what is in it for them. Soft, shiny hair? Sign me up! Emerging technology that solves all of my business problems? Where do I invest?

The next time you post to Facebook or Tweet on Twitter or what ever it is that you do - makes sure it's worth sharing. Oh, and seriously stop sending me Mafia Wars, already!