This is a big question to digital marketers. If you are one of them, I am pretty sure you will be cracking your brand on to better conversion for every campaign you came up!
Case Study on How Airbnb Boosted Signups by 300%
There is no denying that referrals are very important, maybe even more important than many other marketing tactics, and that’s why large companies do work very hard in order to design a good, reliable and reputable referral system that really works properly.
Airbnb had to deal with a similar situation and because of that they started a new way to drive user signups and this has improved the overall number of bookings with 300%, something that is really exciting but also very hard to achieve.
How did they do such a thing?
Some of the success came from the launch of its mobile platforms because initially the platform was available only on the web, but with mobile devices it was a lot easier for people to access this service and, at the same time, recommend the program in its entirety which is very important for sure.
They also went towards the idea of measuring each factor of the experience. They integrated a good custom event logging platform in order to track all the metrics properly and then they saw how many invites are sent, how many users are active monthly and they also saw the conversion rates.
Another important point for them was personalization because instead of having generalized invitations, these were created with specific referral codes not to mention that they also showcased the inviter avatar and name.
These are things that inspire trust in a company and that’s maybe the main reason why the Airbnb is so successful, because they know how to handle this and deliver the best possible results at all times. They did this for both the web and mobile versions in order to offer higher quality results.
They opted for iteration as well. Airbnb went ahead to tweak the copy, they chose to refine the way mail were sent and when they were sent, yet data collection was still important for them and the outcome did pay off in the end which is what matters the most at the end of the day.
They even talked about this in their own blog post that can be found at here. This is MUST READ.
Read more about the way this company used to create a new and very successful referral system.
Ways to Increase Conversion in Online Marketing
Personalization
The first way in which you can increase your conversion rate is through personalization. This is usually done in two ways: the first way is by providing a photo of yourself. The second way is by adding your signature to the bottom of your landing page.
This radically increases visitors’ trust. Most people who resist buying products online do so because they’re weary of getting scammed by a faceless liar, who wont be around when they need help or when they need to return the product. By adding your picture and signature, you can gain visitors’ trust. ProductBack is a company that offer cashbacks and rebates and they have been testing with a lot of email personalization campaign like this.
Website Design
From the position of your brand logo, to your choice of website color scheme – there are a wide range of factors that come together to affect an online visitor’s perception and overall experience. One may argue that responses to these onsite elements are subjective. Although that’s true to some extent, at the end of the day, majority rules.
If most of your online visitors find a particular aspect irksome or troubling, you could risk losing a huge chunk of your market over time, so it’s important to make your website easy to use.
Check out how BestHairLooks capture readers attentions.
When improving onsite elements for users AND search engines, don’t limit yourself to content (especially if you know you’re already winning in this aspect). User experience (UX) matters more today than in previous years. In fact, search engines like Google are making algorithm changes based on user data.
During a website audit, don’t forget to check on these top three onsite elements for a better, smoother user experience.
#1 Redirects
This factor matters to both users and search engines. No one wants to click on a link or CTA button and then be directed somewhere else. Or worse: be redirected to an empty page! We often forget that the Web is a highly dynamic place. Websites move, links change, and content gets updated frequently. It’s natural that a website may have a few links that are either broken or directed elsewhere.
There are generally two common scenarios for redirect issues: a) you recently changed your URL, OR b) several of your outbound links have moved. Outbound links are easy: you have the option to either change the link to a better resource OR remove it entirely. For internal links that lead to a 404 (also known as a broken link):
- If the internal page no longer exists, replace it with a relevant page or blog post
- If the internal page still exists, make sure it’s directed to the correct URL
- If the 404 page was indexed (appears in search engine results), remove it via Google Search Console (formally Webmaster tools)
#2 Navigation
Your website is like a map: users need it so they can easily locate the information that they’re looking for. There are all kinds of websites, just like there are many types of maps. However, the more complicated the map, the harder it is to get the information you need. A website that contains logical internal linking will not only be for your users to navigate but will also make it easier for search engines to crawl.
Often, it’s as easy as arranging your content based on different categories or ideas. From there, you can choose to further subdivide it into more detailed pages that delve deeper into the subject or service you are offering. This is also known as the Silo technique. Remove friction from your site by providing clear links, prominent CTA buttons, and mobile-friendly elements (such as touch-ready targets). Follow this simple rule when looking for navigational issues on your website: if it takes a user more than two clicks to get to the juicy content (like blog posts), you need to reconsider your linking practices.
#3 Security
Note: this depends on your website and industry. Unless your business deals with payments, credit card information, and other sensitive data, security may or may not be a huge issue with your online visitors.
In 2014, Google announced on its official blog that it’s going to include HTTPS as a ranking factor. This is important because people value security, especially on retail sites. However if you think that this is going to improve your ranking on search results, don’t expect much. With more than 200 ranking factors, the chances of seeing significant changes from making the switch is slim.
Instead, do it for your users. Secure websites can be trusted with sensitive information, so they are more likely to be trusted by the users. This information doesn’t have to involve credit card details; some folks would refuse to give their email address to unsecured websites.
So if you do decide to change to HTTPS, do so because your business needs it – not because you are after a number one spot.
#4 Colors
Another way in which you can increase your website conversion rate is by using black text or a white layout. Regardless of what anyone tells you, this is one of the easiest ways in which to make your page look professional, rather than pathetic or desperate.
Trust
The third way in which you can gain trust is by offering something for free. This is generally what you will do if you’re using a squeeze page to generate leads: you’ll offer a free report or five-day course – and then use that to generate leads, which you will later upsell or generate revenue from via affiliate sales. Why is this technique so effective? Quite simply because it allows them to judge your work and ideas before they actually have to pay for them. Additionally, it builds trust.
Your safest bet is to monitor your website and its performance. Don’t ignore little problems – especially those affecting user experience. In the long run, these issues could develop into something worse if not resolved quickly. Online resources like Google Search Console will let you check onsite errors that could put a damper on your customers’ online experience.
In addition to these ways in which to increase your conversion rate, you should always guarantee a product. If you’re using Paypal or some other check out program, you will want to make sure you clearly state that customers can return your product for any reason within a given period of time after the purchase.
Final Word
Prioritizing customer experience on your website and digital marketing strategies will give you the upper hand because you’ll have less to fear from future algorithm updates. Plus, positive feedback from your customers can be considered an achievement in itself.
READ ALSO: