Website performance is vital to a successful B2B marketing plan. But while you can test yours for usability and functionality, there’s no magic tool that guarantees your copy is doing its job of connecting, engaging, and driving conversions.
According to a Janrain and Harris Interactive study, 73 percent of online consumers get frustrated with websites that don’t display relevant content. So, if you’re losing conversions, your overall messages could be among the culprits.
Here’s how to quickly assess your website’s copy and content and improve your chances of connecting with visitors.
Audit Your Copy for Engagement
If your copy doesn’t immediately hook the reader, she won’t think twice about pressing the back button or closing the browser. Increase your chances of connecting with her with these tips:
· Pare down your headlines and sub-headlines to a single thought or action. How? Ask a question; make a promise; offer a benefit. Then, deliver on the headline and subheads in the copy that follows.
· Does each feature you highlight match up with a benefit? Use your USP and competitive advantages to support each product or service feature.
· Make your copy succinct and personable with short paragraphs. As a B2B marketer, you’re selling to people. And people will more readily digest and respond to small bits of information than to rambling dissertations.
· Know your ideal prospect and her pain points. Does your overall message tie back to her needs, challenges, and interests? If not, it’s time to revisit your messaging to make sure it’s relevant to your visitors.
· Do your calls-to-action support your website’s overall theme, or does each page stand in isolation from the rest and without a smooth transition to the next?
Build Credibility and Trust
Trust-building is a long-term strategy. Here are some key elements you can optimize to lift conversions over time:
· Audit your website for any missing security badges or terms and conditions that might deter a buyer from signing up to a webinar or downloading your latest white paper.
· Do you collect email addresses through a sign-up page but don’t have a privacy policy? Crafting a simple, two-paragraph policy will help build user confidence and put visitors at ease.
· Featured testimonials, success stories, and customer case studies all add credibility. Staff-written industry blog posts and articles should figure prominently on your website to showcase your expertise.
· Don’t forget your membership to professional or accredited associations. They often publish special membership seals that can be posted to your website and help differentiate you from competitors.
Related Class: Conversion Tactics for Everyone
Dissect Your Landing Pages
Too many B2B marketers drop the ball at this stage and lose conversions. Here’s how to craft a focused and engaging landing page:
· Keep it simple and remove any distracting navigations. This means you should display a single page without your website navigation. You have your visitor’s undivided attention – why lose it now?
· Keep the content above the fold. Making your prospect scroll down lessens your chances of completing the transaction.
· Use bullets to quickly remind the customer of the benefits she’ll be receiving, including if the offer is free.
· Narrow down your call-to-action to a single thought and incite urgency with power phrases such as “Grant me access now,” “Teach me how,” or “Register now.”
· Ask only for that which you need. In most cases, an email address and first and last names is all you need to start building a relationship. So, make it easy for users to surrender their information by keeping your sign-up fields succinct.
Check In On the Competition
How does your website compare to your top competitors? The goal here isn’t to copy them, but to evaluate their core messages for missed opportunities:
· Are their messages believable and supported by strong benefits? Is your copy as strong as it can be, or are there areas you can improve and better connect with your visitors?
· Are your competitors’ page titles and meta tags optimized for keywords and phrases you should also be using? If so, it’s time to revisit your SEO strategy.
· Are there elements you could feature more prominently across your website? A chat feature or a toll-free phone number for sales or technical support, your blog page, your free downloads, or contact information?
· Do they have a strong value proposition? Are your key differentiators strong enough to make visitors stay on your website and want to learn more?
Test, Monitor, and Evaluate
Website optimization is never complete. As an ongoing part of your online strategy, your messages need to adapt to your business as it evolves. So, as a B2B marketer, you should continually test, monitor, and evaluate your copy to ensure that it’s customer-focused and relevant. And as you continue to address your visitors’ needs, you’ll cultivate the trust that can blast through obstacles and dramatically boost conversions.
Tools
KissMetrics’ 100 Conversions for Optimization case studies
User Testing’s software to test your website’s usability