If your business is struggling to convert more visitors into customers, it’s time to give your conversion optimization a boost.
For your CRO to work, you need to have a strategy, structure, revenue-focused goals and alignment.
The 3-step conversion model that we’re sharing in this article is simple, focused and tactical and you can start using it today.
Our method is strategy-driven since strategy comes earlier than data in CRO.
Here goes:
Always Start with Content
The following is what this strategy is all about:
- Develop content
- Optimize the content for users
- Convert the users
Content marketing and SEO are so interrelated that what people call SEO is actually content marketing even when social media is added to the equation.
Always start with content not SEO or social media because it’s content that keeps things together to create something powerful.
Content has 3 parts, namely:
Part 1 – this content casts a wide net because it’s free and the reader has no obligation. This part includes:
- Articles
- Blog posts
- Press releases
- Case studies
- Educational Emails
Part 2 – this content is for the warmer prospects who don’t mind providing an email in order to view the content. It includes:
- Videos
- Executive guides
- Webinars
Part 3 – this content is for the prospects who are further into the BD process. It has the most substantial content only available after registration. The content includes:
- Books
- Whitepapers
- Research reports
- Technical journals
The ideal method for conversion optimization has these parts:
- Awareness
- Interest
- Desire
- Action
The first three are desires and all of them lead to action, and this is where your conversion optimization efforts come into play.
When working on CRO, you should know that:
The content improves your traffic
The incoming traffic should be optimized
Your content is the most important marketing strategy, it’s what brings users to your site to give you a chance to unleash the power of CRO.
Data: analyze and understand information and behavior of your users
When you understand that your content fuels your conversion optimization, it changes everything.
Your one change should be the way you measure data.
It’s important to keep collecting and going through all your traditional data such as pages per session, bounce rates etc. however, these points rely on the usefulness of your content.
Also, you have to keep in mind your customer’s level of engagement. Developing content and watching the analytics is not a good way to get the data you need.
It’s important to take a moment and study the data/content cycle to understand how you’ll measure engagement.
The following are useful points to measure engagement:
- Page views per visit
- Keyword source
- Scroll depth
- Pagination
- Click maps
- Twitter analytics
- Social sharing
- On-page analytics
- Download rate
- Read time
- Average time per reader
- Video watch length
- Rating system
- Finish rate
If you use these pointers, you will notice that your data has changed and this is because:
You’re concentrating on data that shows customer engagement.
Your data has been passed through your content giving you a better understanding.
You’re determining how your visitors interact with different types of content on your site.
Testing: test, alter, rinse, do it again
Split testing is at the center of your CRO. Each test should measure interaction with the content and its influence on conversions.
Email split tests – this will measure the effectiveness of your email content
Should you use HTML or plain text?
Is dynamic content more useful?
Is it okay to personalize your greeting lines?
What CTAs work the best?
What subject lines get the highest click-through rates?
Social media split tests – what’s the best way to produce and distribute social content?
How effective are online polls for generating retweets?
What is the best time to post for the highest engagement?
What are the best performing images?
Are my social buttons improving blog sharing?
Homepage split tests – what are the elements that raise my conversion rates?
Which headline style is more effective?
What color should my CTA button be?
Which are the most compelling images?
Are my videos working?
Which is the best font for my headlines?
Once you’re done with these tests, you will get a better understanding of how your site’s users are interacting with your content. This will help you improve the way you create, shape, deliver and promote content.
For example, make a change and measure it i.e. adjust your content and see the impact it has on the users.
Remember:
Content applies to almost every aspect of your online marketing, videos, webinars, blog articles, Twitter, PDFs, the wording on your PPC ads and many more.
- Use your split testing to freshen your approach to content
- Make relevant and impactful changes
- Repeat
Conclusion
If content is king, then data is the queen. Combine the two and you will have a powerful and winning conversion funnel.
Now, what is your strategy for conversion optimization?