While a website that finds new customers is certainly compelling and worth exploring, a website that finds those customers and helps them understand your product and service (without your involvement) is even more compelling. There are a number of different ways for your website to help your customers along the purchase process. There are a number of different ways to build a relationship with a potential customer that does not require your involvement.
Website Email Capture:
One of the easiest ways to capture the visitors to your website is to allow them to sign up for your newsletter or to download a white paper. There are thousands of intriguing free offers a company can make in exchange for a website address. Organizations can offer free merchandise or they can offer a free quote. In short, there are many ways to further a relationship. Using these email addresses to build an intelligent email marketing funnel can further a customer’s interest in your company.
Website Chat:
The arrival of website chat came after marketers realized that a customer’s buying impulse is strongest the moment they are looking for an answer. It follows that if you are changing the oil on your car and you forget to buy the replacement oil filter, you are very likely to want a new oil filter RIGHT NOW! Website chat has seen very high conversion rates, but it can be cumbersome to smaller organizations to manage the live chat feature. (DISCLOSURE: if you need an oil filter right now, searching for one online is a moot point, unless you are going to use Amazon same day delivery. Also, searching for anything online with motor oil on your hands is likely to make your keyboard very slippery initially…and then very sticky indefinitely).
eCommerce for Small Businesses:
While there are great opportunities to bring customers along the buying process, eCommerce includes reaching a potential new customer, warming their interest in your offering, transacting the product for cash, and sending it to them. This is the gold standard of website conversion. More and more of business transactions will happen electronically in the 21st century. For a non-profit, eCommerce enables your website to accept donations from potential donors. A non-profit that has a steady stream of donations is a compelling non-profit.
Converting new Customers:
Even if your organization is not ready or is likely to ever embrace eCommerce, there are countless other options to convert new potential customers and welcome them into your community.
Contact Freelock for an appraisal of your websites’ valuation to your company, organizational alignment, and security.
Find out what more your website can do to drive your business.