Good article from John.
I'm currently working on a landing page for my blog. And keeping the "Call to Action" above the fold was something I never thought about. I usually have my "call to action" at the end.
~~Rachel
Five Simple Tips To Increase Online Sales
By John Sanpietro, Certified Business Coach
Founder, Stamping Is My Business
Are you satisfied with your online sales? If not, there are plenty of things you can do about it. And while some are complicated, most are not. Here are five simple tips you can implement almost immediately to begin increasing your online sales:
1. Use Individual Landing Pages for Each Product/Service You're Selling
Because SU generally promotes several things at once, Demos often feel the need to do the same. Unfortunately, this hurts you more than it helps, as too many choices tend to overwhelm the customer. Rather than trying to promote everything SU is doing at the same time, pick the one or two things you think will resonate most with your customers
Marketing needs to be focused. If you're trying to sell too many things on one page, or in one piece of marketing, you're actually going to generate fewer sales than you would if you just kept the focus on one thing. When you pull your potential customer in too many directions at once, they don't feel strongly enough about any one thing to actually buy it.
So, online, rather than trying to sell everything on one page, create individual landing pages for each of your classes, for booking workshops, for the business opportunity, etc. Then, use focused, targeted marketing to send prospective customers to one of those landing pages. You'll be amazed how much stronger the response is.
2. Split Test Those Pages!
You're not going to create the strongest marketing piece (in this case, your landing page) on the first try. You have to test and tweak all of the different elements of the page (headline, text, picture(s), call to action, etc.).
A "split test" means you set up two landing pages for the same product/service. They can be completely different, or you can just change one element. Then, send half your traffic to one page and half to the other. Using your traffic stats, you can then figure out which of your landing pages did a better job at getting the prospect to click and/or buy. From there, you make more adjustments until you have the landing page that converts best.
If you just go with your first try, you're probably leaving a lot of money on the table!
3. Use Testimonials
If you're promoting a product or service, nothing you can say about it will be more effective than what another customer says!
Make sure you have at least one testimonial from a customer prominently displayed on your landing page. This type of 'social proof' lowers the barrier of resistance and makes someone more comfortable buying from you.
4. Use Directional Cues
Simple, but effective. If you want someone to look at something on your page… point to it… literally!
Laser eye studies have shown that the arrow is the first thing we see when it appears on a page… no matter what else is there! Don't use them all the time, as that will lessen their effectiveness in the long-run, but if something is important enough, make it obvious with an arrow!
5. Keep Your 'Call-To-Action' Above the Fold
In this case, the 'fold' refers to the bottom of the screen. Since a lot of people won't scroll down, make sure you have a call-to-action somewhere on the portion of the screen that loads in when somebody comes to your page.
As hard as it is to believe, there are plenty of people who come to your page… and never see the opportunity to buy! Why? Because they're not scrolling! Seriously.
These are pretty basic… and a lot of you may know them already… but I've found that the basics are often the first things we forget! So, if you're not doing one or more of the above, adding them (back) to the mix will probably help your online conversion rate tremendously!
Finally, if you need a refresher on all of the basics… or if you'd just like to make sure your business has the strongest possible foundation upon which to build, check out the Stamping Business Basics Program.
And, as always, feel free to contact me with any questions.
Warmest regards,
John
John Sanpietro
Certified Business Coach
STAMPING IS MY BUSINESS!
http://www.stampingismybusiness.com
THE BUSINESS STAMPERS COACHING GROUP
The Premier Online Community for BUSINESS-MINDED Stamping Business Owners!
