The Conversion Scientist™

Avoiding the Marketing Strategies that Don’t Convert

Design your Web site around the strategies that drive leads and sales

I had one of those meetings this week; a meeting with a company that has really come to understand the significance of online conversion in their business. I predict good things for them.

They’d taken advantage of a Conversion Sciences home page review, and had attended my workshops. It’s a good feeling to know that I’m making a difference.

They wanted to be sure spent their Web budget on the things that were going to help their business grow faster.

This is going to sound obvious, but take a good look at your own site before you dismiss this statement: They decided that focusing on strategies that would generate leads would alleviate the need to invest in things that didn’t. They would save money and sell more.

That makes sense, doesn’t it?

So what should you be investing in?

Find out which conversion strategies you should be building your Web marketing programs around. I’m covering the Five Core Patterns of Conversion Marketing for Search Engine Land’s new Conversion Science column.

The first pattern is “The Brochure.” Most of the business sites on the Web are like an online brochure. But “The Brochure” is not designed to convert. It’s purpose is to support sales, often after the visitor has already spoken with a salesperson.

If you have a brochure site, you may discover that you really need a site based on one of the other four patterns: a Portal, an eCommerce site, a Considered Purchase site, or a Site as a Service.

Over the next four months, I’ll be digging into each, helping you choose the right pattern for your business, and highlighting the conversion strategies that you must get right for each.

The next installment is coming next week. I’ll send you an email when each of these go live if you subscribe to The Conversion Scientist.

Photo courtesy http://www.sxc.hu/profile/rometree

Analytics for Everyone

Spend precious Web resources on the smart stuff

If you follow The Conversion Scientist, you will have dutifully put an analytics package in place on your Web site, such as Google Analytics, Woopra, Clicky or SiteMeter.

This doesn’t mean that the information has helped you improve your Web site. Let’s change that.

Let me introduce you to Web analytics in a way that will help you get more leads and more sales from your site. Web Analytics are only helpful if they help you spend your time and money in the right places; the places that help you sell more.

I’m going to be presenting a two-hour seminar on Web Analytics for the Austin Entrepreneur Network on Friday, January 15. You need to come to this, because I rarely work this cheap – it’s only $25.

Register here: Web Analytics: Tools and Best Practices

May Your Holiday Hypotheses All Come True

How do you create a warm, joyful feeling from ordinary paper?

Children, puppies and heart-felt copy: these are the hallmarks of a card that can convert even the biggest scrooge into a quivering pool of good cheer.

What are you sending to your clients and prospects? Is your card working to get them to open what is inevitably only one of hundreds of cards they will receive?

In classic Conversion Scientist style, our Holiday Wishes come with a bit of education. Join the Conversion Scientist as he shows you how to choose and create holiday cards that appeal to the widest audience.

Wishing you the warmest of Holidays,