In the mythical, pre-Internet era the world of marketing was very simple. A customer simply walked in to your shop, you recommended him a product, and, more often than not, was sold. End of story. Now, everything is different as more and more businesses turn to online marketing. But it's not only about having a website that people can visit. It’s about encouraging them to visit regularly, buy your products or services and, preferably, to recommend your company to future clients. The marketing battle is fought inside the customer’s head as much as on your e-commerce site. Luckily, there are some savvy tricks which will help you to be on the winning side. Some of them are well-known and recommended by everyone: responsive design, low shopping charges, price anchoring, possibility to shop without an account, etc., etc. But now it’s time to learn about some more sophisticated yet often disregarded tricks to boost your return in investment (ROI)!
#1 Develop Values and Stand for Them
Ok, this one may seem a little bit abstract, but it can really boost your sales. If customers feel that they share values with your brand they are more likely to develop a strong loyalty to it. Just think about Apple. Its brand personality is about lifestyle, imagination, innovation, dreams and aspiration. It really appeals to the customers - the fact that Apple is at the first place at Forbes’s list of the world’s most valuable brands speaks for itself. Or look at extremely powerful Dove Campaign for Real Beauty which aim was to fight beauty stereotypes and celebrate women’s natural beauty, no matter their age, size or skin color. Now Dove is perceived as a brand which supports its customers and enhances their self-esteem. Such an image is likely to strengthen brand loyalty and attract a lot of new customers.
That is why you should develop values which fit your business. The possibilities are countless: ecology, women’s rights, fair trade, healthy lifestyle, creativity, innovation… whatever fits your business and is likely to appeal to your customers is ok. But remember: once you’ve decided on these values they have to be evident throughout everything your brand does and offers.
#2 Colors
In theory everybody knows that colors matter and yet few make use of this knowledge. That’s a mistake! Colors may have a tremendous impact and really boost your ROI. Did you know that colors increase brand recognition by 80%? Or that 85% of shoppers place color as a primary reason for why they buy a particular product? Well, now you know, so make use of it and think which color suits your business the best. You can redesign your whole website so that it has colors which would, for example, create an air of luxury around your products (here use black) or encourage your customers to sign up for a newsletter (orange is perfect for that). Check HubSpot infographic to learn more about the psychology of color.
#3 Use Geo Targeting
Geo Targeting is determining the geolocation of your visitor and delivering content which is highly relevant to his location (country, state. city, organization, zip code etc). Why? Well, people are always interested in what’s going on around them. That’s part of human nature. By showing them content which is relevant to their surrounding you are more likely to catch their attention. Since Internet users have shorter attention span than a goldfish, it is crucial to make them to stay on your site as quickly as possible.
What is more, Geo Targeting makes the user’s browsing experience more comfortable because he is shown familiar and relevant content. Happy visitor may turn into customer, so Geo Targeting is worth consideration.
#4 Create a Perfect Thank You Page
Thank you page is a page which your visitors see after they sign up for a newsletter or ebook. It has a lot of potential. It is perfect for getting customer feedback, building brand trust and further engaging your customers.
You have several variations of a perfect thank you page. You can ask your visitors to answer a few questions about themselves. Their responses will help you to determine your buyer persona and prepare relevant content. You can also ask them for a feedback so that you know how to improve your website. You can also add links to your best content, ask the visitors to follow you on social media or share your website. Displaying testimonials will also work - thanks to them you’ll make your brand more trustworthy.
#5 Give Them a Story
Never underestimate the power of a story. People love stories. In the Internet people are not able to touch or smell products, so they focus on its description. If it is interesting they are more likely to buy - or even pay a higher price. There was a certain experiment conducted by a group of researchers and writers. They bought a number of old objects from flea markets and garage sales, composed a fictional story for each item and put everything for sale. They sold $128.74 worth of thrift-store junk for $3,612.51 (you can read about this experiment on Significant Objects page). The results of this experiment show the value of storytelling for marketing.
Of course you don’t have to write The Iliad or a new Harry Potter novel, a short but creative description of your product or service will definitely do. And if your company has interesting origins, write about it. Reading that you decided to quit a safe job in a huge corporation in order to pursue your dreams and make your own board games is likely to appeal to your customers. Firstly, it is interesting. Secondly, people who are interested in board games are usually very passionate about them and they’ll appreciate that the products they’re buying were created by their fellow gamer. So embrace your inner writer and create stories!
#6 Help Them with a Live Chat
Some people are just not ready to contact you via phone or e-mail. If they face any problems with the site they are more likely to go somewhere else than to call. Don’t ask why, there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Instead of complaining help them with a live chat. It provides the necessary consumer support without the need of switching between channels.
#7 Display Reviews and Testimonials
If you think that people will automatically trust your company because it has a website you’re terribly wrong. You have to create trust, and the best way to do it is through reviews and testimonials which show visitors what your customers think about you and your products.
In the case of testimonials, remember about showing pictures of actual people. No stock photos allowed. Choose also testimonials of people that are in your target audience. They will be more compelling for your potential customers. As for the reviews, especially these concerning your products, just be honest. Neither you nor your products are perfect, so negative opinion are possible. Do not delete them, Internet users hate it. Answer instead and allow them to stay on your site. Your customers will appreciate your honesty, trust me.
So that’s it. Nine savvy tricks to boost your ROI with your website. Use them wisely. Remember that everything depends on your business and goals you want to achieve. But I’m sure that these tricks will help you when your Return on Investment needs improvement.
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Stefan Materzynski
