Lead generation is both an art and a science, and striking the right balance is always a challenge. But in a sudden and unpredicted downturn, like many businesses are experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, knowing which direction to take regarding conversion rate optimization becomes even more challenging.
Never before has the need to monitor and adapt quickly been so important. Complicating matters are issues like unexpected analytics changes (for example, when site traffic from your newly work-from-home employees shows up as organic traffic), and overall web traffic changes.
The good news is, what you do now toward conversion rate optimization may carry long-term benefits even after we return to a more normal business climate. Here are some things your digital marketing team can work on right now to assist with conversion rate optimization.
Look for Positives & Opportunities
Maybe organic and paid traffic levels have fallen, but that may mean that the leads you generate now are more serious leads. And if you seize the opportunity to provide more customized attention and connection, you can get those conversions. Perhaps your brand has new features that are more relevant in a shelter-in-place world, and if that’s the case, you have a terrific opportunity to point out that relevance.
What’s important is striking the right tone, and demonstrating empathy, compassion, and the human element of being in this strange new business world together.
Continue Active Engagement and Monitoring of Feedback
Now is not the time to neglect online engagement, particularly if you historically have strong social media engagement. Staying engaged with potential leads on social media will help you identify opportunities to tell your brand story in an up-to-the-minute context, with compassion.
Likewise, monitoring brand feedback on social media matters now. Listening helps you learn which way the wind is blowing and helps you communicate with the right tone and the right words. Listen to your frontline sales force as well. They can be outstanding sources of intelligence as to what potential leads want most right now.
Conduct Conversion Rate Optimization for Your Website and Data
Now can be an excellent time for businesses to evaluate website user experience and upgrade it. You may have less traffic during a downturn, so you want to make sure the people who do visit have an exceptionally good experience. It may be a good time to revamp and upgrade some of your evergreen content and evaluate individual pages for SEO.
Cleaning up your lead database can also be a good use of your time right now. Cleaning out duplicates, ensuring information is accurate and complete, and generally tending to data hygiene can prevent wasting time on outdated lead information and ensure your efforts reach the right people.
Mind Your KPIs
Your KPIs may be skewed right now, and that’s to be expected. However, ignoring them is not the answer. After all, if you don’t know your conversion rates or your marketing ROI, how can you work on optimizing them? You may look back a year from now and see how anomalous your KPIs were during this period, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t informative and valuable right now. When you can quantify the effects of a downturn on your KPIs, you’ll be even better prepared for future disruptions.
Remaining flexible and adaptable during a downturn is the key to keeping your digital marketing and conversion rate optimization on track. Challenging times may change how you look at data and what you do with insights, but they also provide unique opportunities to personalize your communications, strike the right tone with potential leads, and gain conversions that will serve you well once things return to a more normal state. Lift Digital Marketing is ready to help businesses fill their sales pipeline. Get in touch with us at any time to learn more.
