So this week I was the guest speaker for Dan Morris’s weekly Mastermind group. Dan publishes an e-mail each Friday (Dan’s notes) that I ALWAYS learn something from. So I was happy to reciprocate and talk with his listeners. (And, as it turns out, I just moved to the very same city Dan lives, so we’re not far from each other.)
Here’s what Dan wrote in his Friday note about our hour-long conversation: “The bottom line is this: If you want to convert more window shoppers to customers you have to combine logic and art. You have to use both the right and left brain, analyzing and creating. Ask yourself these questions:
- What do you want your customer to do right here on this page? (If you can’t answer that, then we’re not ready for a website conversion discussion yet.)
- Is it extremely clear that’s what you want them to do? Are you giving them mixed signals like an opt-in box on one side and a buy button on the other?
- Do others agree with you? Can they tell you what the most important part of the page is – and does it match what you think?
- Have you matched the goal of the page with the mindset of the customer? It doesn’t matter whether you’re inviting them to something, selling something or asking them to opt-in, Sue Painter says you need to meet these three requirements:
- Does it fulfill a compelling need?
- Does it fulfill an urgent desire?
- Do they want its deep rooted benefit?
If you can successfully work your way through those questions, you’ll have made great strides towards better conversions.
The last part is A/B testing. Things like colors, headlines, backgrounds, copy – they all matter. So start testing options and start winning! If you think you’re 100% on target with everything above – then you likely have a target market problem. Where is your traffic coming from? Are the people you want to come to the page coming, or are you attracting someone else to the page that you didn’t intend? That’s the analytical part of the whole thing. Do the numbers match?
If you’d like to listen to the MP3 you can join into Dan’s weekly mastermind (it’s free) at this link:
http://freeweeklymastermind.com/webinars.
Meanwhile, go look at your website’s pages and make sure they can tell what you want them to do, on every single website page. Here’s to your continued confident marketing.
Dan R Morris (@DanRMorris) says
September 3, 2011 at 11:39 pmAfter seeing all of those comments, we should have a mastermind call where we just help “audit” each other. 🙂
Renee says
August 30, 2011 at 2:38 pmGreat post Sue!! Such great tips and I love the idea of art & logic. Fact with emotion = sales::))
Sue says
August 30, 2011 at 5:33 pmHi Renee,
Yes, as you know….facts tell and stories sell…..
Sue
Jennifer Bourn says
August 29, 2011 at 12:41 pmAmen! Thank you for communicating what I always say – your overall site AND each page on your site needs to have a clear goal and purpose … On each page it needs to be clear what action you want the visitor to take! As a web designer, I LOVE marketing professionals that understand this principle!
Jennifer Bourn, Bourn Creative
Sue says
August 29, 2011 at 1:49 pmI’m glad you agree, Jennifer. It makes me crazy when clients expect designers to also know marketing. Some do, but usually not so much as it isn’t their interest.
Sue
Mitch Tublin says
August 28, 2011 at 6:29 pmSue,
Appreciate the great information and the introduction. You definitely are attracted to the right folks!
Mitch
Sue says
August 28, 2011 at 7:22 pmMitch, you’re welcome.
Heidi Alexandra Pollard says
August 28, 2011 at 4:08 amThanks for the quick tips Sue – you always have me at hello!
And yes it is time to go back look at my website’s pages and make sure they tell people what I want them to do!
Sue says
August 28, 2011 at 6:37 amI think your Leading Ladies site looks great, Heidi!
Bill Painter says
August 27, 2011 at 10:02 amAGood points, especially item 2 on the clear choice. This is similar to a tactic used in negotiation is called channeling where you limit the choices so you guide the person to your desired outcome while making the decision easy.
Thanks!
Sue says
August 27, 2011 at 10:08 amChanneling? LOL! That means something very different in energy work. Need to know more about that, Mr. Bill. 🙂
Mary Ellen Miller says
August 26, 2011 at 11:49 amExcellent tips Sue! Thank you for always being so informative. I’m off to review my site.
Sue says
August 27, 2011 at 10:42 amMary Ellen, Let me know if you decide to make changes – I’ll be curious to see what you discovered!
Katherine C. H. E. says
August 26, 2011 at 6:42 amGreat questions, Sue!! Reminds me it is time to do website audits!! THANKS! XO, Katherine
Sue says
August 27, 2011 at 10:43 amYou’re welcome, Katherine.
Tiffany deSilva says
August 25, 2011 at 2:11 pmSue great advice as usual. I particularly agree with you on not sending mixed signals. One call to action on a single page is perfect. Thanks!
Linda Pucci says
August 25, 2011 at 2:03 pmThese are great tips, Sue (as always). I also think the combination of logic and art is where it is at. I am getting ready for a website overhaul so these tips are particularly timely for me! Thanks!
Jeff Brunson says
August 24, 2011 at 6:43 pmI love the guidance to “combine logic and art” – that is the challenge. Thanks Sue.
Sue says
August 24, 2011 at 8:30 pmYes, I agree, Jeff – combining logic and art IS the challenge!
Kristina Shands says
August 24, 2011 at 10:56 amLove this, Sue. Especially the A/B testing. Thanks for introducing me to Dan’s work. Looking forward to checking out his site and recordings.
Sue says
August 24, 2011 at 12:11 pmWelcome, Kristina!
Dan R Morris (@DanRMorris) says
September 3, 2011 at 11:38 pmThanks for the kudos. 🙂
Dan R Morris says
August 22, 2011 at 1:30 pmHey hey,
Thanks for the nice plug! I think this is a good example page for what we’re discussing. This web page’s headline is written to get you interested in reading the article.
Then the article itself is good (if I say so myself) and ends with a call-to-action. It’s clear here that Sue wants you to get better at what you do. She clearly asks you to go look at your own site and self-analyze it. She didn’t say “go to Dan’s site and sign up for his Notes – THEN – check out your site.” (which I encourage) 🙂
Very clear. Since it’s not a commerce page, squeeze page or lead generation page – there isn’t much to distract you from reading the article – other than the sidebar. But it isn’t flashy either and doesn’t command your attention like the article.
Follow what Sue does. She does good work.
Dan
Sue says
August 23, 2011 at 7:49 pmThanks for the compliment, Dan. You do good work, too!