First a quiz to find out if your website is indeed committing conversion crimes against your offline efforts:
- Your webmaster/web designer knows about the last postcard mailing you did.
True/False - Your postcard, sales letter, or brochure directs people to your website homepage.
True/False - Your website has the same content as your last mail piece.
True/False - Your website has the same information as what you present in face to face or phone meetings.
True/False
If you’re website is innocent you’ll have scored 100% on these correct answers:
1. Your webmaster/web designer knows about the last postcard mailing you did. You should have answered: True!
This is important for two reasons:
- You don’t want a herd of new visitors storming your site unless your site is prepared for it. Going over bandwidth can take your site down and that is a terrible way to kill conversions.
- Before someone calls you from a postcard, they are going to check out your website. If your website doesn’t say anything about the information in your mailing, you just confused your prospect and likely lost a potential sale.
2. Your postcard, sales letter, or brochure directs people to your homepage. You should have answered: False!
Your direct mail should direct people to a special landing page within your site, one that will expand on the information about your offer. By simply sending prospects to your homepage you will again confuse the prospect. What they want is more information about your offer. If they have to hunt for a link to that information from your homepage then you’ve diluted the urgency and lost a sale.
3. Your website has the same content as your last mail piece. You should have answered: True!
If your mailer says you have a 24/7 Support Number, then it should be on your website too. If you have a staff person that is giving a seminar, your website should include that staff person’s bio somewhere on the site. Your website needs to be perfectly aligned with the information you’re giving out.
4. Your website has the same information as what you present in face to face or phone meetings. You should have answered: True!
If you have an especially good salesperson who manages to close more sales than anyone else, you need to mine them for information. This will allow you to uncover what information is working that may not be on your website. Conversely, if they are making claims that your website doesn’t agree with, this will cause problems resulting in…yes, a lost sale.
If your website is guilty in any of the above areas, then it is truly working against you and committing serious conversion crimes!
But don’t panic, you still have time to reform your bad website. It’s as simple as picking up the phone and involving your webmaster in your marketing strategy. By doing this, you will improve your conversion rates both on and offline.
Do you have a marketing plan in the mix that needs some help? Contact us and we can help you close your marketing loops and make sure that your offline efforts are not wasted.
About the author: Jeune Ortiz is VP of Marketing and Creative Director at future-ink. With more than 20 years of experience in graphic design and marketing, Jeune brings extensive knowledge and creativity to each website and internet marketing solution to grow your business.
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