Converting Web Clicks into Clients:
How to engage prospects throughout the buying process.

By Julie Mason, General Manager
Kellysearch.com

One of the biggest fallacies in online marketing is once you launch a web site, all your hot prospects, will easily find it, click and almost instantaneously be converted to customers. Online marketing can help you reach prospects efficiently, but to be most effective you need to engage them throughout their evaluation, selection and buying process.

Helping Prospects Find You/p>

At the evaluation stage, it’s important to optimize your web site so you have the best chance of being found by potential customers. One way to accomplish this is to design your site with search engine crawlers in mind.  Crawlers, also know as bots and spiders, "crawl" websites to find content and then rank each page on the relevancy of its content.  Some of the ways companies can improve their search engine rankings include: posting keyword-rich copy (both in headings and throughout the site text), limiting the areas of the site that require visitors to register for access, and including meta tags; these are title and description tags assigned to each site page that make the page more attractive to the user and the crawler.

Another technique is to keep profile listings on vertical search engines and online directories up-to-date.  New product information should be posted with direct links to the specific pages in your site. When using these directories, make sure classification terms are as specific and extensive as possible.  By properly classifying your company on vertical search engines and online directories you may get fewer visits, but the quality of traffic coming to your site will improve, generating a higher conversion rate.

Information Gathering, Comparison and Evaluation

So, your prospects have found you, and have entered the information gathering, comparison and evaluation stage of the buying process.  Are you ready to engage with them and give them the kind of information that speaks to their needs? 

A lot of smart companies are adding landing pages to their sites, so prospects get right to the relevant information they need, from a relevant link they click.  Directing prospects to targeted landing pages makes it easier for them to find the specific product or service information they’re seeking, instead of starting at a website homepage and having to drill down from there.

While prospects are in that evaluation mode, give them additional information, both on the site and in a form they can request from you.  For example, white papers, product data sheets and case studies all help prospects learn more about your solutions and evaluate your company. Requiring prospects to register before viewing white papers and other resources can provide valuable information about site visitors, but think very carefully before enforcing registration as this can put many people off.  If you feel you must have registration, limit the information required to a few simple fields such as name, company and email address.  Don’t require visitors to register for access to basic items like contact information, company background and press releases. And make the materials easy to locate.  Keep important information up high, and make sure your navigational tools get prospects to where they need to go.

Making it Easy for Prospects to Raise Their Hand

Once prospects are interested in your product, and ready to take the next step, chances are, they’ll need to contact you directly to get more detailed information or to make a purchase.  The most basic way to help prospects connect with you is to make sales contact information readily available. Include contact information on every page of your website.  If you do not want to clutter pages, include a link on each page that takes prospects to more detailed contact information.  And, if possible, always provide multiple ways for prospects to reach you.  Give direct contact information as well, by avoiding the "infos at" or general online help forms.  Although these may be easier for you to manage, customers want to know who is taking care of their request.  Email addresses for regional sales reps and "click to call" buttons that connect prospects directly with a sales person are also good options to include.

A second way to help customers connect with you is to provide information on upcoming tradeshows and conferences your company is attending.  Make your trade show investment pays off by notifying prospects of events you’ll be attending and by providing information on how to schedule an appointment with the sales reps attending the shows.  If someone will go out of their way to schedule a meeting with a sales rep at tradeshow, chances are this is a prospect you don’t want to lose.

And remember not to remove the human element.  In our Internet-driven world, it’s easy to get caught up in non-personal communication.  At this stage in the buying process, your web-based process and human interface should begin to overlap.  Establishing personal contact with prospects can really separate one widget manufacturer from the next.  As a general rule, make sure there is a way for your prospects to connect with you directly via a manned, toll-free phone number.  .

Don’t Stumble Over the Last Hurdle: Follow Up

After investing so much time and money in generating leads, the last thing you want to do is lose those them.  Follow up on inquiries as quickly as possible.  It seems like common sense, but it’s surprising how often this principle is ignored.  The faster you follow-up, the better your lead conversion rate and the less leads you’ll lose to your competitors.   

Quick follow-up isn’t the only factor to better conversion rates; the way you choose to reach out to leads matters too.  When possible, your follow-up should include a personal call from a sales representative, in addition to other tools, such as automated emails that can be sent within seconds of receiving an online inquiry.

Of course, not all prospects will immediately become customers.  Does your company have a program in place to keep communications open?  Consider developing a program that allows you to contact your prospects at least once a quarter, making sure you’re offering something that helps them. This could come in the form of alerting prospects to resources you offer such as Webinars or podcasts, or by sending out e-newletters with useful information.  It could also be as simple as a call from a sales rep, but make sure he or she is offering something of value to the potential customer.  A quick word of caution: avoid the urge to contact them so often that you become a burden instead of a valuable resource.

Converting Clicks to Clients

Generating relevant, quality traffic is the key to converting clicks to clients. But once you have the traffic, you need to create a user-friendly website that offers prospects the information they need at each stage of the purchasing process.  By making these changes in manageable chunks you should see improved conversion rates and you can track the impact each change has made.  At this point, you’ll be well on your way to winning over a whole new set of customers.