Finding ways to make more sales should be your top priority as a business owner. And, to boost sales, you’ll need to capture those essential leads.
But you’ll need more than a well-designed website and a positive attitude to capture leads. Even if you’re able to generate a lot of leads for your business, you’ll usually need to do a bit more work to convert those into sales.
Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to optimize your website to make more sales, boost your revenue, and build your brand.
Here are five tricks you can use today to capture more leads and enhance your company’s bottom line.
Optimize your website’s homepage
Many companies focus on optimizing their product and service pages, as well as their content. However, they often neglect to use the same strategies for their homepages.
Think about it: your homepage is likely to be the first place people land, which means you need to put plenty of effort into getting it just right.
To capture more leads, the most important thing is that you ensure it’s as easy as possible for people to take the next step from your homepage. You can do this by:
- Providing a sophisticated search tool that will lead them to what they need
- Pointing people in the right direction with a strong call to action
- Making it easy for people to contact you with questions or concerns
To give you some inspiration, let’s take a look at one business that gets this right.
US Search, a public records search company, utilizes a simple design that makes a large impact. They use a powerful header, easy-to-spot call to action (CTA), and great social proof to make it easy for users to convert.
They use a number of design tactics to draw the eyes of their audience to the CTA like the arrow and lines pointing to the button. This design approach is not only great because it will drive more people to click on the CTA and convert, but it also helps move customers towards a solution that they are looking for.
Highlight positive reviews from your past customers
People tend to trust word-of-mouth recommendations over marketing, so it’s a good idea to ask your customers for reviews or testimonials you can publish on your website manage relationship with your clients.
These will show that you’ve done an excellent job for your customers in the past and will capture more leads for your business. Positive reviews will also build credibility around your brand because they will prove real people have tried your company and found satisfying results.
But, before you can display reviews on your website, you need to ask your customers for their feedback. Here’s how to ask your customers for testimonials or reviews:
- Offer multiple ways to give feedback
- Ask directly through an e-mail or on a receipt
- Make the review process easy
- Offer incentives in exchange for a review, like a free download or coupon
At Loganix, we provide a range of digital marketing services, including Adwords campaign management, and highlight positive customer reviews on our website alongside clients’ photos to show real people who depend on our services. In addition, we include a link to more testimonials, allowing the user to continue reading more positive feedback about Loganix. This builds confidence with readers, driving engagement and conversions
On your service pages, highlight one or two customer reviews that show why new customers should do business with you.. This will give visitors a better view of your company and show them you have many satisfied customers working with you.
You can also include a link that will lead users to a collection of your best feedback, which will keep your website neat and clean while still providing the social proof needed to boost conversions.
Publish content that helps customers make better purchases
The content you create should be tailored for the different needs of your audience. For example, some people might not even know that they require your services, so you need different types of content that engage with customers at different stages of the buyer’s journey.!
Either way, you need to publish content to help customers through the sales funnel. There are three main stages of the buyer journey:
- Awareness: Buyers are at the start of their journey and just becoming aware that they have a need. They are doing research and figuring out what solution they need.
- Consideration: Potential customers know how to solve their problems and are using their knowledge to identify possible products and services that will help.
- Decision: During this final stage, buyers are narrowing down their options and make the choice that will, in their eyes, solve their problem.
Depending on the stage, you’ll need specific types of content to support your potential customers. Here are some examples of content that you can use at different stages of the customer journey:
| Content for the
awareness stage |
Content for the consideration stage | Content for the
decision stage |
|
|
|
Let’s take a look at a company that uses content to help customers make better purchases to provide you with some inspiration.
The accounting software company FreshBooks does a great job of offering multiple types of content that visitors can use to solve their problems and answer their questions. This piece of content in particular answers basic questions about cloud accounting software for customers who are in the early stages of researching what kind of financial solution they need.
The menu on the left-hand side of the content also highlights multiple topics a website visitor can read about, depending on what stage they’re at in the company’s sales funnel. From answering basic FAQs to giving a higher-level overview of software functions and accounting practices, FreshBooks offers a comprehensive content catalog that will not only attract leads but entice them to convert.
Conduct an audit of your existing content and see if what you have will provide support at all stages of the buyer’s journey. Then, focus on improving this content and filling any holes you may find.
Remember, content not only generates leads by attracting visitors to your site, but it builds your credibility by demonstrating that you are a leader in the industry. This can then help you to capture those leads and turn them into sales.
Convince people to make a purchase with strong calls to action
To capture leads that convert into sales, you’ll want to harness the power of strong CTAs. A CTA, or call to action, directs website visitors to take the next step with your company.
Here are some ways to craft strong CTAs that catch your audience’s attention.
- Use a strong verb
- Create a sense of fear of missing out (FOMO)
- Make sure they stand out
- Optimize them for all devices
- Offer value propositions
Let’s take a look at a company that effectively uses CTAs to drive more conversions.
Your CTAs should be clickable, easy to find, and take the guesswork out of moving forward with a purchase or registration. The CTAs used by Venngage, an infographic creation tool, are easy to spot and clearly describe what the person can expect when they click.
You can use their example to help you design an eye-catching CTA that stands out from the rest of the page but is still cohesive. In addition, Venngage uses precise, straightforward language and strong verbs in its calls to action to drive people forward.
Your CTAs should stand out and let the reader know what they will get if they click the button. So, place all calls to action above the fold and choose a color that pops and, above all, keep the rest of your page simple, so visitors aren’t distracted from taking your desired action.
Use case studies to show off your past results
To make more sales, you need to earn your prospective customers’ trust, and the best way to do this is by showing them what you’ve already done.
Case studies are ideal for showcasing the results you’ve achieved and sharing the thoughts of your previous customers. They outline a specific problem a past client has faced and the solution you provided them with.
To create high-quality case studies, choose your ideal format – for instance, you could write a blog post or put together a video. You’ll then need to identify a past client who would be a good fit and reach out with your idea.
Next, send them a list of questions to answer that will get to the heart of your message, such as:
- What challenges did you face before using our product or service?
- What made our product stand out?
- How have you benefited from partnering with our company?
Once you have the answers to these important questions, you can design your ideal case study to share with potential customers.
When writing a case study, include your product name and description right at the start, then describe how your customer benefited from your product. Include clickable CTAs that allows visitors to book a demo or buy a product while the case study is fresh in their minds, too. It’s a simple but effective way to capture more leads.
Summary
Lead generation is just the tip of the iceberg. If you’re looking to generate revenue and build a customer base, you need to optimize your website to encourage visitors to make a purchase. Use these five tricks to not only capture more leads but convert them into sales that will give your bottom line a boost.
Are you looking for more ways to optimize your business? Check out the LiveWin business section for more helpful articles from business experts who know how to help you grow your company.
–
Author bio & headshot:
Aaron Haynes is the CEO of Loganix, an SEO fulfillment partner that supports marketing agencies and professionals. The company specializes in helping businesses to improve their online visibility and ultimately make more sales. The Loganix blog has a lot more information and advice, so make sure you check it out if you found this article helpful.