What is Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)?
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is the art of getting website visitors to take the desired action and become a lead/opportunity in the sales funnel. The process begins and ends with the goal of increasing the percentage of visitors that convert into customers.
Goal: Sales Cylinder and NOT a funnel
The goal of all of your business media should be to convert all visitors into leads and all leads into sales, thereby creating a sales cylinder as shown.
![The Sales Funnel The Sales Funnel](http://innovationsimple.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sales-funnel-269x300.png)
![The Sales Cylinder The Sales Cylinder](http://innovationsimple.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/cylinder.jpg)
1: Target Market!
Its all about the target market. You have to learn how your potential customer thinks and draft messages etc. that make those potential customers act. You have to read their minds. This is the common theme to all great marketers and marketing messages – they know how to get inside of people’s heads and say the right thing to the right person.
![Good Calls-to-Action Good Calls-to-Action](http://innovationsimple.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/good-call-to-action.jpg)
2: Tailored Strategic Messages
Most people assume that when you talk about marketing that you’re automatically talking about mediums. These could range from radio ads, TV spots, internet banner ads, etc. There is something that is almost always more important than where you place your message. The creative or message side of marketing is the part that gets overlooked. What you say, how you say, who you say it to, and how they interpret it, is almost always more important than the marketing medium where you say it.
What Marketing is supposed to do:
- Capture the attention of the target market.
- Facilitate the prospect’s decision-making processes.
- Lower the risk of taking the next step in the sales cycle
Helpful Conversion Rate Questions:
- What is the goal or purpose of the website or the design of the website?
- What does the Client want users to DO when they land on the website (call to action/offer)?
- What can we do to make the website seem personal?
- What can we do to breed trust with the website users (trust marks)?
- What can we do to make this website sell or convince?
- How can we make this website converts visitors into leads?
- What are the USPs (unique selling points) of the clients business?
- What are the typical hesitations that prospective clients may have when visiting and how can we resolve their concerns? Its about how you make users
- FEEL. Do they trust you? Are you making them feel comfortable?
Example CRO Benefits:
- 100 leads X 2% = 2 leads —- Current Cost
- 200 leads X 2% = 4 leads —- Double the Cost
- 100 leads X 4% = 4 leads —- Less than Double Cost
Conversion Rate Optimization Notes:
- Websites should have personalities and should expose the personality of the company.
- People buy things from people and companies that they KNOW, LIKE, and TRUST. Your media should expose yourself and do things to help potential customers get to KNOW you.
- Radio companies charge the same amount to run a bad ad as they do a good one.
- It costs nearly the same to draft a stellar message on your website as it does to draft a poor one.
- Your website should be your BEST sales message.
- It costs less to improve conversions than it does to buy more media.
- It also increases the chance that they will move through the sales process further and become a customer.
- You have to have traffic generation to talk about CRO, it is a requirement.