Inbound marketing strategies are constantly under development for many brands, which is why it’s important for creative professional to remain aware of the latest trends in consumer behavior. Without up-to-date knowledge, a marketing professional is unable to provide a business with the best advice possible and the strategic thinking necessary for improving inbound marketing strategies.
According to a recent study from Monetate, the average conversion rate from email for e-commerce websites dropped during the second quarter of 2013 – falling to nearly 3.34 percent from 3.56 percent during the same time last year. Referral traffic from email also faced a decline – falling nearly 26 percent in the second quarter of this year in a year-over-year comparison.
Despite this overall negative news, there is a positive figure that keeps cropping up. The average order value from email channels was up to $99.93 during the second quarter of 2013 – up from $89.43 during the second quarter of 2012. Social conversion rates were also positive, increasing 0.79 percent during the three month period in 2013 in comparison to the same time period in 2012.
Marketing Profs reported that the study found that search conversion rates also declined during the second quarter of 2013 to 1.94 percent – down from 2.12 percent in a year-over-year comparison.
Conversion rates are a crucial metric for marketing and sales professionals to look over. These figures tell businesses whether the sales and marketing strategies are working to convince customers to purchase a product or service. As a result, it’s important to hire a team that is best able to prove successful in this part of the business. Contact a creating staffing agency to discuss whether a team needs a new member to boost conversion rates and a recruiter can help a business find the right person or people.
The right marketing professional will understand how to best address lackluster conversion rates and come up with a strategy that will help boost that figure. Here are a few tips for creating a better conversion rate:
1) Does the website look legitimate? Often an outdated website or one that doesn’t look like it will provide quality resources will immediately send a visitor to hit the back button. This means that a poor looking website not only decreasing the conversion rate, but also increases the bounce back rate – neither of which are positive metrics. Make sure a website is up-to-date and modern appearing so that visitors are not inclined to close out the window. If a visitor is barely willing to spend time on a company’s website, he or she is likely to never purchase from the business either.
2) Is the website accessible? The internet has created this wonderful place where everyone and anyone can purchase from e-commerce websites – even those who may have difficulty because of impairments from traveling to a physical brick and mortar location. Make sure a website is accessible to everyone so that a customer does not get frustrated and leave the site before a purchase is completed. In addition, an accessible website is still unfortunately such a novelty in this day and age, so brands that feature this quality are praised by consumers and word of mouth will spread.
3) Are customers’ questions easily answered? Often a customer will want to ask a wide variety of questions from a brand if it is relatively unknown. Small boutiques are finding niche audiences online because they offer unique products and services. Because the operational costs associated with running a business online is so much lower than a brick and mortar store, more and more companies are relying on e-commerce. However, this means that a business must have a quality website that easily answers all of a customer’s questions. Once a visitor reaches a website, it would be a shame to lose his or her interest because a website failed to have an appropriately explained About Page, etc. An online business, even more than a physical retailer needs to be able to satisfy the questions of the potential customer to convert a visit into a sale.
4) Does the site appear secure? While online purchasing has grown in popularity and many people are comfortable with shopping digitally, this only goes as far as the customer is willing to trust the business with information. Many e-commerce websites are verified for added security and protections to provide customers peace of mind.
5) Optimize email subject lines. Emails are a key tool for inbound marketing, which means that marketers hope they will boost conversion rates. Optimize the subject line of an email and the page it brings a potential customer to so that visitors are engaging more with the site, which could boost sales.
Check out these design tips for 2014 to ensure you get a great start in the new year.
