I recently had the honor to chat with Andy Crestodina in one of my marketing podcasts.
Andy has written articles for nearly every major marketing website out there. He’s also published a book called Content Chemistry – which is now in its third edition. And he’s the founder of and a regular speaker at Chicago’s biggest marketing conference – Content Jam.
If you’re like most people, searching online for marketing and conversion tips is a frustrating experience because there’s so much conflicting information. But Andy’s been doing this successfully for nearly 20 years.
And when we sat down for our chat, he offered up some great information – particularly a content conversion map that leads to better conversion rates.
Content Conversion Map – 5 Steps to Better Conversion Rates
Andy’s conversion map has five distinct steps. Follow these and you’ll be on the road to improved conversion rates.
1. Figure out What Questions Your Visitors Will Be Asking
Think of yourself as a customer. What questions would you ask once you’ve landed on a website? Some ideas:
- Am I in the right place?
- Is this a product or service that will help me?
- How can I get the product/service?
- Is this a trustworthy company?
2. Identify Your Prospective Customers’ Concerns?
Thinking like a customer again – what concerns would bring you to a website? Do you want to learn something? Are you looking for a solution to a specific problem?
3. Give Your Visitors the Information They Need
Once you know what questions your customers will be asking and the concerns they have, you have the basis for your content. Your blogs and web pages should provide the answers that your customers need.
4. Back Everything Up with Evidence
For every claim you make, you should have the evidence to back it up. Facts and figures are important here, but possibly even more important is your customer/client testimonial. These will reach potential customers on an emotional level and make them more likely to buy.
5. Don’t Forget Your Call to Action
Every page or blog you write should have a call to action. This will guide visitors, showing them what steps they need to take next until, finally, they sign up for your newsletter or purchase your product.
Don’t Put Your Billboard on the Back Streets – Put It on the Highway
Andy said this in reference to a question I had about testimonial pages. The testimonials page is one of the lowest ranking pages a website can have. Andy asked me: Should you put your most compelling content on your 31st most popular page? That would be crazy – like putting a billboard on a backstreet.
Instead, your testimonial content should go on every page – especially your top ranking pages – right next to the marketing claim that it supports.
Put This Map to Good Use and You’ll Soon See More Conversions
Improving conversion rates is the goal of every business owner. With all of the conflicting information online, it can be difficult to know how to do this.
My advice – follow Andy’s conversion map closely and you’ll be on the road to improved conversions.
Do you want more of Andy’s conversion tips? Check him out on LinkedIn, Twitter, or his articles on Orbit Media.