You’ve got a lot going on, right? Social media, content marketing, paid traffic, customer headaches, managing staff (or no staff and you are doing it all alone – which is worse?!)
With so much going on, it makes sense that you may have neglected your website a little bit. Time to rectify that!
Most sites are nothing more than a corporate brochure and let’s face it, those aren’t very effective at generating leads.
Did you know you have less than 8 seconds to engage your audience and convince them not to bounce?
Did you know that approximately 96% of visitors to your site are not ready or willing to buy right then? (Which means you need to convince them to provide their email address so you can continue to market to them).
So how do you optimize your site for maximum lead generation results?
- Use Crazyegg or Lucky Orange or some other such services that allow you to see how people engage with your site. The videos and insights you get on Lucky Orange are amazing.
- Review data (almost obsessively) and tweak your site to improve results (split or multivariate testing is the most accurate way to make changes without guessing)
- Offer valuable content in exchange for contact info. Make sure your opt-in offer is compelling, prominent and strong.
- Test the size of the form you use. A shorter form will yield a higher response rate but a lower quality lead (although then you can market to them via email to push them through the funnel and turn them into a higher quality lead). A longer form will get less response but the leads you do get will be much higher quality.
- Give some content away for “free” (meaning don’t require them to opt-in to access it) and save your higher quality, premium content for visitors that opt-in and enter your funnel.
- Consider adding a social share button, so your opt-in page gets shared on social media, encouraging more people to join your list (if it comes recommended via social media, there is a level of built in trust that makes them more likely to see you as an authority source).
- If you have multiple offers, products/services and content gates (areas where people have to opt-in to get content), you should strategically rotate them or ensure the ones that are most valuable to you are most prominent.
- You can offer a live Chat (which allows you to gather their contact info AND engages them with your site). These chats are great for leads who have a question, but don’t want to pick up the phone.
- Contests are great ways to collect lead contact info. Host a contest on your homepage to entice visitors to share their information. Everyone loves a chance to win something!
- Pop-ups are annoying but usually effective. Lightbox opt-ins usually appear after a certain amount of time has been spent on the site.
- Use your header, footer and sidebar wisely. People often look here for opt-ins and other crucial contact info. Don’t disappoint, give them what they expect to see.
- Use eye-catching visuals to attract and engage visitors.
- Make sure your copy is catchy and compelling.
- Create urgency.
- Focus on headlines and making content skimmable or scannable.
- Write in a tone/style and language that is familiar to your ideal prospect. Don’t alienate them with jargon.
- Proof read! Don’t diminish credibility with silly mistakes.
- Make sure your font is easy to read.
- Make your site mobile friendly.
- Make sure your tagline and logo is present to help create familiarity with your brand.
- Try landing pages with single and specific offers – especially for paid traffic.
- Use bullet points and other formatting elements to break up copy.
- Don’t waste the “thank you” page after someone buys or opts in. Use that valuable real estate to further sell them.
- Use strong calls to action on product pages.
- Focus on benefits not features.
- Don’t hide pricing or important ordering information.
- Make sure you address pain points.
- Make your site easy to navigate, with logical organization.
- Your key pages should be no more than one click from the homepage.
Here is a helpful checklist for creating your own strong content page that will educate and convert:
- Focus on 2-4 relevant keywords on the page.
- Don’t keyword stuff or over-optimize!
- Clearly define the theme for the page.
- Include strong calls to action.
- Let your visitors know why those keywords are relevant to them (meaning, don’t just use keywords to satisfy the engines, work them into relevant content that actually educates your reader and answers their main questions).
- Use any supporting data or facts to help support your position (if relevant).
- Include a quote from an expert or someone in your company.
- Include a call to action.
- Link to other relevant content on your site and Blog.
- Make sure you include the following items for a STRONG marketing landing page: One: Set up the problem, meaning outline their pain and let them know you understand it. Two: Outline the solution. Three: Let them know what’s in it for them. And four: Deliver on any benefit or promise you made in the headline or start of the text.
- Don’t make one page do all your heavy lifting. The page only has to capture the contact info of the lead, it doesn’t not have to sell them on every product/service you offer and provide a full history of the company. Simple and concise is more powerful and effective.
- Provide reassurance to your lead that you are going to protect their privacy.
- Use “Social Proof” to increase trust.