Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is fancy way of saying “how many of your website visitors become clients.” To the extent that CRO is a science, it can be pretty time-consuming (and simultaneously mundane) when done textbook-style. You have to pore through data, crunch numbers and look for specific patterns. But there are definitely a few simple—and more fun—ways you can send those conversion rates through the roof.
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Improving CRO with Video
Did you know you can use video elements as an effective CRO tool? Probably not. Here’s the deal. Video on the web has exploded. Far more hours of video are watched online than are spent reading text. On average, someone will watch a video with a script that’s 500 words long but won’t spend the time needed to read the same amount of text.
Feeling skeptical? Well, when was the last time you sat down and read through a magazine or newspaper compared to watching the news? Exactly. People are too busy to read your giant wall of text, but they might not be too busy to watch your video content. Website pages with explainer videos (short videos that explain how your business works) consistently outperform those without video. Plus, if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video’s gotta be worth a million words, right?
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Boosting Brand Recognition
It turns out that the more people know about a brand, the more they think it’s better than the competition. That’s why big brands invest in seemingly endless commercials on TV, print, radio and everywhere else. Commercials that don’t seem to be selling anything in particular, mind you.
The science behind this is called brand awareness. They know the more they’re in your face, the more you’ll think they’re the best. How can you use this to your advantage? By investing even more into your brand or image. All the best content in the world means squat if people don’t have a brand to associate you with.
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Quit Following Online Marketing Trends
It sounds counterintuitive, but seriously, don’t follow online marketing trends. Sure, know what they are and how they work, but it’s a mistake to just adopt them blindly. What works for one business might not work for another, so way more important than trend-hopping is finding the marketing strategies that really work for your business and sticking with those over the long haul.
One trend that’s notorious for taking website owners (and online marketers) on a wild goose chase is Google algorithm updates. Not that you should ignore those algorithm updates, but take them with a grain of salt. The truth is, Google is as much on a discovery journey as you are. They don’t have all the answers and they’re in a state of constant evolution, which means that whatever announcements they make today could be less relevant in a month or two.
The Ultimate CRO Strategy
The best strategy for improving lead conversions is to follow your customer’s breadcrumb trail instead. One company that does this extremely well is Amazon. They don’t give a crap about trends; they only care what their customers are doing and saying. Their laser focus on the customer experience and outstanding customer service are exactly what make them such a force to be reckoned with.
To take a real-life example, right now the online marketing world is all about the trend of mobile-friendly marketing. But back in the day, companies that knew a chunk of their traffic was coming from mobile proactively built mobile-friendly websites way before some trend told them to. When you really get to know your customers, a better CRO isn’t far behind.