With the right approach, a website can turn visitors into new customers.
There are many ways to positively influence your website visitors during their purchasing process. Some methods are described below and are easy to apply to both webshops and websites. Every entrepreneur and marketer can benefit from these basic principles. Curious how your website can generate leads? In this article, you will read how best to approach this. If you keep a few basic principles in mind, you will certainly succeed!
Help your visitor through the purchasing process
A visitor can be at any stage of the purchasing process. Ensure that your website addresses every need of your visitor. This means that your website must contain the necessary information for someone still in the problem recognition phase as well as for someone already in the buying phase. And that means you must offer content that constantly pulls them over the line.
Offer valuable information that creates a need. Think, for example, of blogs, infographics, and statistics. Next, you want to inform your visitors about your offerings; you can use various types of content for this as well. Consider, for example, free webinars, fact sheets with information about your services, or customer case studies. Naturally, it is then important to actually persuade your visitor to make a purchase or get in touch. Think of product features, reviews, and information that answers frequently asked questions about your service or product. This way, you guide your visitor through the purchasing process and can positively influence them along the way.
How do you influence your visitors online?
Cialdini's principles of persuasion are well-known to many (online) marketers. They are simple tricks you can use to get your visitors to cross that line. I will briefly explain them below:
[su_heading size=”20″ align=”left”]1. Reciprocity
When you give something away for free, your visitor feels 'obligated' to reciprocate. That is why giveaways are always very effective at increasing conversions. You can easily implement this by, for example, offering free whitepapers with relevant, valuable information, or an e-book. Another option is to offer a free product within your webshop or a free sample.
[su_heading size=”20″ align=”left”]2. Commitment & consistency
Once you have given in to something or contributed to something, you will be more inclined to do the same with a subsequent request. “If you say A, you must also say B.”
You can capitalize on this characteristic by, for example, moving towards your goal in steps. Do you want people to fill out a contact form, for instance? Then have them go through this process in short steps. Have your visitor agree to one small request on your website (such as a poll) and encourage them, via this route, to eventually fill out your contact form.
A good example of this can be seen in the research by Cialdini described in his book "Influence". In this experiment, he posed as a volunteer in a residential neighborhood in California. He went from door to door asking if residents would place a large sign in their yard with the text 'Drive carefully'. In most cases, the request was rejected. Understandable. Yet, 76% of the residents in one street agreed to the request. In this street, a volunteer had previously rung the doorbell asking if they would place a sticker on their windshield with the text 'Drive safely'. This was a small request, to which they had agreed. And because of this, they also agreed to the large sign. They did not want to back down.
[su_heading size=”20″ align=”left”]3. Social validation
People are susceptible to social pressure. That makes this principle of persuasion strong. Choosing a service or product becomes much easier if many people indicate that it is the right choice.
You see this recurring frequently on websites. Consider, for example, the use of reviews on a website or webshop. Often, these are reviews from people in the same target group, people with whom visitors can identify. When you know they liked it, you are bound to like it too. You often recognize this principle in lines such as: “Over 800 people subscribed to our newsletter, sign up now!”
[su_heading size=”20″ align=”left”]4. Sympathy
Having sympathy for a company means that you have a positive attitude towards the company.
You can do this by, for example, incorporating more personal elements into your website. In my opinion, www.drukwerkdeal.nl and www.coolblue.nl are excellent examples of this. Other things you can do to generate goodwill include implementing social media on your website where people can see how many of their friends have liked your Facebook page (also social proof) or giving compliments.
[su_heading size=”20″ align=”left”]5. Authority
When you project authority, people will trust you and your product or service more quickly. You often see examples of this in TV commercials. Think of the toothpaste commercial where they have a dentist or dental hygienist sell the product. You can establish yourself as an authority by sharing extensive substantive knowledge about your service/product, sharing an expert's opinion on your service/product, or sharing quality marks and awards.
[su_heading size=”20″ align=”left”]6. Scarcity
'While stocks last!' or 'Full is full!' Commonly used terms to pressure a purchase and persuade a hesitant visitor. Services and products seem more valuable and exclusive when they are available for a limited time or in limited quantities.
When people are afraid of losing their chance to get that service or product, the choice to go ahead with it becomes easier. This creates a sense that you have to act fast.
These 6 principles by Cialdini are easy for anyone to apply. And every small element within your website has a positive influence on your potential customer's purchasing process. Naturally, it is important to test these principles. By testing different versions of your website, you will quickly notice which additions yield the best results.
Do you want to know more about a conversion-friendly website and persuading your visitors? Then contact us or keep following our knowledge center. We post blog articles every week!