Getting people to a site is only half the battle. The other half is figuring out how to turn those unique visits into paying customers. Thousands of businesses get the clicks down pat through digital marketing only to watch them leave without spending. The chasm between the initial interest and the purchase is where digital marketing fails.
It’s the difference between marketing that drives traffic and marketing that drives paying customers and it comes down to understanding what it takes to get people to spend their money.
Why Traffic Never Converts
Here is what happens to most traffic. They bounce onto a page, spend a couple seconds looking, and bounce off never to return. That business registered ‘visitors’ in their analytics but they’re not helping any bottom line.
Oftentimes, it’s not the traffic that’s the issue. It’s that there’s a mismatch between the traffic and the pitch. Someone doing a generic Google search ends up on a page encouraging them to buy, while someone who is ready to purchase ends up on an educational blog designed to inform them about the process of getting what they need.
It’s timing, its message and its levels of accessibility that either help or hinder conversion.
Getting the Format and Timing Right
Digital marketing success depends heavily on choosing formats that actually reach people when they’re receptive. Banner ads that people scroll past don’t convert anyone. Emails that go straight to spam folders accomplish nothing.
This is why testing different advertising approaches matters so much. What works for one business might fail for another, and the only way to know is through actual testing. Exploring options through platforms providing formats such as the best pop up ads network or similar services lets businesses discover what resonates with their specific audience without committing huge budgets upfront.
It’s about finding potential formats that keep eyes engaged without becoming annoying. People will latch onto relevant information—whether time sensitive or not—if it provides an answer. They’ll ignore and actively avoid anything that distracts them from their path to purchase once they feel they’re on the right track.
Creating Messages That Speak To Them
Even if the timing is perfect and the format fantastic, if the message misses the mark then nothing will change. The typical failing point in digital marketing is speaking in corporate terms while consumers are focused on problem-to-solution terms. A business selling accounting software discusses integration and features. The consumer just doesn’t want to drown in tax paperwork anymore.
Conversion-based marketing flips this on its head, beginning with the problem people actually possess, acknowledging why it’s a problem, and then addressing why there’s a solution based upon relief it provides. Leading with what’s important to consumers instead of what’s important to say makes all the difference.
Furthermore, effective digital marketing eliminates uncertainty. Uncertainty prevents people from purchasing things because they don’t know what’s going to happen next at any step of the transaction. Guarantees, transparent return policies, authentic assessment of social proof and simple responses to what happens after something is purchased minimize cognitive dissonance that prevents conversion.
Measuring What Matters
Most businesses measure the wrong stats and wonder why their conversion-based marketing doesn’t improve. Page views, social media interaction, and email open rates are all activity-based measures that mean nothing when determining how conversion-targeted digital marketing failed to perform.
Cost per customer acquired tells the true story, if spending one hundred dollars can net five customers, each spending fifty dollars, that’s two hundred fifty dollars worth of revenue from a one hundred dollar expense—that’s worth it! Per capita assessments reveal where channels are worth bumping up budgets or where they’re not useful enough to keep using.
What Conversion Marketing Looks Like
Conversion-focused digital marketing winners do things differently. They test more than one pathway to success, they don’t risk it all on one avenue. They measure conversions to sales—not clicks—and rely on what the data tells them and what works instead of what they hope will convert.
In addition, they don’t expect conversion to be instantaneous; just because a person visits once doesn’t mean they’re sold. A campaign that gets this dynamic right works through retargeting, email outreach and omnichannel approach to maintain a presence throughout the entire journey.
For far too long, conversion-focused digital marketing winners have treated traffic like the endgame. Traffic is the first step. What happens when people get there and how that contributes to marketing spend, is what makes or breaks a company—or enables impressive analytic reports that don’t generate revenue.
