How to build conversion strategies that actually work

When you’re building your business, it’s too easy to fall into a trap of creating conversion strategies that don’t actually convert. Finding tips and strategies that have been proven to work can be helpful, but not when every business is different.

Conversion strategies aren’t parachute pants – it’s not a one-size-fits all kind of situation, no matter how enticing it may seem at the time.

The biggest contributing factor to this is that your target audience is likely not the same as the person giving you suggestions, even if you’re in the same industry. Even if they’re similar, you’ll see natural differences in your target audience because your business has a unique value proposition. This means your target audience will also have at least some unique qualities.

When you tailor your conversion strategies to your specific audience, you’ll find a lot more growth in your business. You’ll connect deeply with your audience, and the natural result will end up being more leads and higher conversion rates.

Your business was built to stand out, so your conversion strategies should as well.

Team working on creating conversion strategies with sticky-notes on a table.

You did the work, and you created a business that has a unique value proposition. You have also conducted market research to know your business has ample room to grow. Now it’s time to create a custom conversion strategy to match, and here are the steps to make that happen:

  1. Pick an endpoint
  2. Perform audience research
  3. Build your strategy
  4. Test, analyze, and iterate

1. Decide on your end goal and be specific about it.

Before you dive right into creating your own custom conversion strategies, you need to decide on an acceptable endpoint. What’s the overall objective that you’re looking to achieve? Why is it important to your business?

The goal for your conversion strategy should have these qualities:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Relevant
  • Timely

Deciding on a “smart” goal helps you choose an endpoint that makes sense for your business.

Your goal shouldn’t be to “increase sales” because that’s not specific enough. Deciding you want 100 qualified leads to come in by the end of the month is much more precise. It also includes a clear timeline, and it can be measured. You’ll know when you have had the number of leads come in that you want.

Whether this example is attainable for your business is up to you to decide, but it’s a crucial step. If you’re aiming too high, you’re not going to reach your goal and if you aim too low, you won’t get the results you’re after.

You’ll know if your goal is relevant to your business because if you succeed, your business will grow in the direction you want it to, not just for your bottom line, but for your brand as well.

2. Thoroughly research your audience.

Researching your target audience and really digging deep is at the core of all your customized conversion strategies. If you don’t get this part right, you won’t get to your desired endpoint.

If you’re not connecting with your audience on a deeper level, you won’t be able to get them to see that you understand them and their needs precisely. This goes much further than creating a customer persona that includes your target audience’s likes, dislikes, pain points, and goals.

If you really want to connect with your audience, you need to show them you really get them.

You have several ways to gather audience metrics.

Visitor statistics from Google Analytics.

You can start by taking a look at behavioral and demographic insights with your preferred analytics tool. This will help you get a broad overview of your audience and their regular habits and actions.

After that, scour through the customer feedback that you have collected. Listen carefully to what’s been said to find gaps in your business that you can cover. This is where tools and services like GapScout are helpful because it is designed exactly for this purpose.

Then, scroll through social media and find your audience. Take the time to really listen and understand where they’re coming from.

One of the best ways to go about this is to go to a relevant subreddit for your business. Over there, people anonymously share not only their pain points and what they want, but they also share what led them to this point. This is critical information. If you understand this part, you’ll be able to determine why they would want to shop at your business over your competition.

You’ll also be able to figure out how to appeal to your audience a lot faster.

When you think you’re done, keep going another layer deep. When you reach this point, and you’re able to understand your audience on a deeper level, keep going. You’re also going to need to know their values.

We all have core values that we live by, and what we value is at the core of our identity. If you know what your audience values the most, you not only get an extensive look at what areas you must touch upon to relate to your audience the most, but you also get a more complex and rich look into their identity.

People can value anything, but most commonly, people value what’s most important to them such as family, security, peace, love, privacy, and other similar areas.

This also helps you empathize with your audience, so you can figure out how best to reach them.

3. Build your conversion strategy and select the appropriate tools.

Once that’s done and dusted, you’ll be ready to start building your conversion strategy. The way you do this is entirely up to your audience and business’ specific needs. Whatever you choose, be sure it’s aligned with what you found out through your research.

If you really listened and understood your audience on a deeper level, your conversion strategy will reflect that from top to bottom. Your copy, images, layout, design, and everything else should validate your audience and show them you know exactly what they need because you’re offering it to them.

When your audience sees that their feedback made real change, they’ll feel empowered and trust your business more.

4. Test and analyze your plan, then rinse and repeat.

Once your conversion strategy has been planned and built, release it into the world and start collecting data. After about one to three months on average and depending on the amount of traffic your site gets, you can start analyzing the data.

This is where tools for A/B testing are helpful, or other ones that measure for your specific endpoint.

Look at the data with an objective eye and with your audience in mind. Sometimes, the simplest things can convert customers by 40% such as an image of a duck facing left or right. This is where walking a mile in your audience’s shoes or applying some method acting can help you find opportunities.

When you’re brimming with new ideas, it’s time to adjust your plan and try something new. Then, test your strategy again.

Closing the knowledge gap for a highly converting strategy.

Anyone can pull ideas on tactics and tips to include in their conversion strategy, but you can’t ignore the main dish that is your audience. Understanding them on a deeper level will help you close the gap and increase sales much faster.

Proper audience and market research will get you there, and GapScout can help you with that.

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Jenni McKinnon
Jenni McKinnon
Jenni has spent over 20 years as a copywriter, web developer and digital marketer. As the founder of a technical copywriting agency, Jenni spends her time writing and editing high-quality copy with personality and panache, as well as working on her new startup.

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