Businesses thrive on making profit so they can grow and scale. New targets are set every year and the race to chase a set of numbers begins. However we find that chasing numbers sometimes leads businesses to lose sight of their vision; providing quality products and services that customers love. This is why understanding how to use Conversion Optimization as a business decision tool will help streamline by how much, when and where you allocate resources to.
If you are new to the topic of Conversion Optimization, click here to read through my easy to digest article on what conversion optimization is and what it can do for you.
Now if you have read my article, you will understand that Conversion Optimization helps you market better. Building on this, we can say it not only helps you market better but it helps you understand your audience and how to serve them better. This is not an exact science even if there is a standard process to achieving it (Truth be told, the technical aspect of this is an exact science so you really need to know what you are doing).
In my previous post, I explained what Conversion Optimization can do for you. From it we can build an idea on how you can use conversion optimization to drive for goals. Before we go ahead to explain how, understanding what your goals are, as a business is key. Your business goals should not equate your marketing goals, but it is a smart move for your marketing goals to ladder up to achieving your business goals.
In plain terms, your business goals are the short term and long term objectives of a business while your marketing goals are the Specific, Measurable, Realistic, Achievable and Time-bound objectives that ladder up to achieving the business goals. I thought I could use fewer words to define those terms. lol.
Once you understand what your goals are then you can go ahead with implementing Conversion Optimization in your Digital Asset. Usually, there are three areas of focus when implementing Conversion Optimization:
Design and User Experience
Copy-writing
Social Proof and Call To Action
Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” –Tom Wanamaker, marketing pioneer and father of modern advertising
Design And User Experience
Whether you are building a mobile application or a website, your design should aim to convince customers to take one desirable action at a time without them, your customers, having to think hard about it. The human brain is not designed for multitasking or processing an overload of information. The brain processes images 60000 times faster than words. The less your audience have to understand the more adept they become at taking a desirable action. The more stimulating your design is, the more you overload their senses, allowing for attention to be lost.
The principle your design should follow is “ Less Is More” There are 6 core principles to having a persuasive design:
Clarity above all: Be direct with your design.
Understand what works in your industry: Sometimes, innovation isn’t the answer.
Strong visual hierarchy and good information architecture.
Conserve attention at all costs: Make sure it is easy for users to focus on what they need to see.
One action per screen: The brain doesn’t want to multitask. One thing at a time.
Hire a good design guy: Sometimes it’s easier and simpler to pay someone else to do it.
“If you cannot explain it simply, you do not understand it well enough’’ — Albert Einstein (I think😬)
Copy-writing
According to a research, 86% of people in the world can read and write. However, the literacy level is definitely lower. The more complex your copy is, the harder it is for the average person to understand and the less intelligent you seem (Read the quote above). You need to write your copy like it is for a 12 year old child. If a 12 year old cannot understand it, then go back and rewrite it. Good copywriters use the words your audience understands and are familiar with. Understanding how your audience speaks and writes is the key to having effective copy. Serving your copy with images can go a long way in helping your audience understand what needs to be done.
We can break effective copy-writing into 4 key points:
Write like your audience are all 12 year old.
Use images to supplement your copy-writing.
Use words your audience understands and are familiar with.
Hire a good copywriter.
“For most people, the fear of losing $100 is more intense than the hope of gaining $150” — Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel Prize-winning psychologist
Social Proof And Call To Action
Social Proof means providing a means to assure security by validation through trusted sources e.g logo from known brands, reviews from others and so on. There is a sense of comfort in the familiar because there is limited risk associated with it. “If someone else has done it before and didn’t regret it, I can try it too” Your audience needs to be assured that they won’t be making a bad decision by trusting you. Social Proof gives credibility and eliminates any type of risks after your audience views your Call To Action (CTA)
Your audience should have a clear view of what is going to happen when they click on your call to action. Do not leave room for assumptions to be made. Be as clear as possible and make sure the following questions are answered to ensure they take the desirable action.
What can I do ?
Why should I do it ?
What happens next ?
Clever leaves room for interpretation, which means uncertainty. Clarity tells you what to do, why to do it and what will happen when you do. Clever doesn’t convert, but clarity does.
The points to note on how conversion optimization is used to drive for desired goals (conversions) are:
Eliminating clutter and simplifying your design.
Understanding the design that works in your industry.
Using (and repeating) words and sentences that are simple and easy to read.
Discovering the words and phrases that your visitors are already using.
Using images to supplement your copy-writing.
Reducing any perceived risk surrounding your call to action.
Leaving room for assumptions to be made is a big mistake. Don’t do it
Clarifying the expectations your call to actions.
Providing social proof near your call to actions.
Researching the habits of your audience.
The key thing to take away from this is, understanding how your audience behaves. If you understand how your audience behaves you can tailor your solutions to meet their needs.
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