The hot topic in e-marketing these days is "conversion" - namely how to convert visitors into customers. If you want to convert customers, the first step is to understand that when people make a decision to purchase something, it's a complicated process. A simple-minded view is that buying decisions are based on impulse and low price. Sometimes they are. But if you want to convert most visitors into buyers you need a far more sophisticated view of customers.
That turns out to be more complicated than anyone can talk about in a short article. But one thing that will get you to be a smarter marketing person is to understand your customer's motivation, ability and opportunity. If you want customers to act, you typically need to make sure your customers have all three working together.
Simply put, motivation, ability and opportunity are the key factors that determine whether or not people will pay attention to your ads, how they form attitudes and what they remember. In short, it determines whether and when they will buy.
MOTIVATE YOUR VISITORS
Motivation is that inner force that makes us want to act. It's typically driven by some goal, like a need to lose weight, collect trading cards, or go to college.
But just because someone is motivated to lose weight doesn't mean they'll go to a gym. That's why motivation is only part of the story.
But you have to get customers motivated to pay attention or buy something, so what do you need to do?
Make Your Offering as Personally Relevant as possible.
Tailor you ads to customer's special concerns. Speak to them personally. Use words like "you" and "your" to make ads and pitches seem more self-relevant, and don't forget to include their name in your ad, site or pitch wherever possible. Not only do people like hearing their own name, they believe that you really have their interests at heart when you use their name.
Why are things personally relevant? Because they tap into customers values (our self concepts), goals (what we want to accomplish) or needs. For this reason you need to spend time trying to identify your customer's needs. Focus groups and other qualitative methodologies are often great ways of tapping into customer needs.
Show how your Offering Can Lower Risks
Customers are typically looking to avoid all sorts of risks-- not only the risk of losing money, but also the risk of losing their social stature, being more anxious, getting hurt, being socially embarrassed, and other things. High risk is uncomfortable and people will do things to avoid it.
Consumers will often find your product more relevant to them if you can show them how it reduces risk. Remember Wisk's Ring Around the Collar ad? Hokey to be sure, but his ad did wonders for making consumers believe that they could avoid a socially embarrassing situation by using Wisk.