Calls to Action Without Transaction: Squeezing Value Out of Every Click
In an ideal world, every single visitor that makes their way through your ecommerce store’s virtual front door would like what they see enough to make an order. Unfortunately, the reality is that conversion rates will typically hover between just one and three per cent of your total unique visitors. For niche industries, this figure could be even lower.
This one to three per cent conversion rate is enough for many businesses to make a healthy profit from their online ventures. However, not targeting the remaining visitors with non-purchase conversion opportunities like e-mail signups, social media engagements and call-back requests means leaving potential profits on the table.
With this in mind, here we take a look at four ways you can squeeze value out of every single visitor your website receives, creating long-term relationships and an increase in returning visitors along the way.
Use your site to push your social accounts.
Everyone knows that social media marketing is a fantastic tool. It can help you maintain a long-term relationship with your customers, drive leads to your site and help you make the most out of your non-converting traffic. While your customers might not be ready to purchase upon first visiting, connecting with them on social networks will place your brand in the forefront of their mind should they ever decide that they are ready to buy.
Pushing your site's visitors through to your social network profiles is no easy task, but the key is to make it as beneficial to users as you possibly can.
One simple way to add value to your social proposition is to use a social couponing system. This means that any visitor who is navigating away from your page is prompted to connect with you on social networks for an immediate discount on purchases. Once a connection is made they should be given access to a unique voucher code with a generous expiry time (typically around a month).
While this might sound difficult to implement, OpenCart extensions make it much easier than you would think. There are many extensions available which can track a users mouse movements to work out when they are about to navigate away from your site. Once this intent has been detected the extension will deliver an “in-page” popup designed to salvage custom that you would otherwise lose. This popup can then be populated using a social couponing extension like SocialDiscounts.
Get your customers on the phone
Just because you have an online store, it doesn’t mean that you should totally divorce yourself from traditional “real world” interactions. Including a form on each of your product pages where users can enter their number and schedule a call with you can really help to shake away any reservations they might have about the product or your business. So much so in fact that recent research has found over 57% of online shoppers trust a retailer more if it is easy to contact them over the phone.
This is particularly true if you are selling complicated products that have many variations. It is also applicable if your target demographic is made up of those over 50 years of age, many of whom still have reservations about purely online ordering systems.
Remember, to maximise the number of “appointments” your form generates it is important to follow traditional call to action best practises. This includes writing engaging copy for the submit button (leaving it as “submit” is a missed opportunity), and ensuring that your form doesn’t simply blend in with the rest of your sites design. Make it bold, and be proud that you are offering this kind of call back service; many of your competitors won’t be making the effort.
Capture E-Mail Addresses
The unfortunate truth is that many of your sites visitors will not be looking to buy at all. Instead, they are using your site as a way of researching a specific industry, product or lifestyle.
While it is easy to write off these visitors as lost causes, offering them value in exchange for their email address can give you direct access to individuals who were, at least at one point, interested in the products you offer
One way to offer value to “non-converters” at the same time as building an email-marketing list is to offer free learning resources. Writing guides relevant to your niche, “101 things you MUST look for when buying a used caravan” for example, and offering them as incentives for signing up to a mailing list not only fills your mailing list with warm leads, but also paints you as an authority within your industry.
Another great way to capture email addresses is to implement single click competitions onto your product pages. A simple form set up to capture email addresses combined with appealing copy that tempts customers with the opportunity to win whatever item is on the page they are currently viewing is a great way to encourage impulsive sign-ups. Just be sure that when it is time to announce a winner that the product isn’t too expensive!
Feedback surveys
If you are having trouble converting your online traffic, running customer feedback surveys on your site can be a great way of finding out what is causing the problem.
These surveys can be put in front of your visitors using the “pop-up on exit” method described above, and incentivised with either free content, discounts or even a simple “please.” After all, if these customers are on the way out of the door anyway then there is no harm in asking them for a favour.
If you do decide to implement feedback surveys, be sure that you are asking the right questions. Feedback on your sites navigation, the pricing of your products and the general level of presentation can all be invaluable in identifying problems with your site.
Finally, remember to follow through on your call to action’s promise.
Nothing is more frustrating for users than clicking on an enticing call to action, only to be left cold when their expectations aren’t met.
Make sure that your call to action’s deliverable (be it discount codes, free content, competitions or callbacks) are exactly as described on your site and of a high quality. After all, a mailing list that is full of people who regret signing up in the first place is as good as useless when it comes to marketing products.
Got any of your own tips on squeezing value out of each and every visitor? Let us know in the comments below.
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