While I’m traveling, here’s an article from my colleague Peter Sandeen. I’ve seen the results of Peter’s copywriting, including a case where his salesletter generated 500% more sales than it’s competitor in a split test. — Thank you! Dov
You’ve done your homework; you know how to get visitors to your site.
But if they don’t ultimately hire you, what was the point of getting them there?
In a recent study (by Adobe), it turned out the average business spends $92 on traffic for every $1 they spend on conversion optimization.
In other words, they spend $92 to get people to their sites but only $1 to turn those visitors into clients.
Even if your $92 gets your ideal clients to your site, the money and effort can easily go to waste.
If they don’t convert, your bank account will show a steady decline no matter how impressive your traffic statistics are.
Give people a reason to listen to you
As harsh as it may sound, people expect a new site to be a waste of their time.
That bias to looking for reasons to not care about what you’re trying to say causes the typical small conversion rates.
The antidote? Communicating a clear, strong value proposition.
Sure, there are countless things that affect your conversion rates. But nothing comes close to how the clarity (and strength) of your value proposition affects conversions.
Your value proposition is a believable collection of the most persuasive reasons your target clients have for taking the action you’re asking for.
The most effective websites revolve almost entirely around the value proposition they’re intended to communicate.
When you go to one of those sites, you know immediately what you can get. And you know why you should choose that company, product, or service instead of any other.
That’s what your website needs to be like.
You need to tell your visitors what you can help them with. And why they should choose you rather than your bigger, better-known competitors.
Whey else would they even consider you? Unless you’re already the market leader, you’re fighting an uphill battle.
The core of your value proposition is the short-list of reasons people should choose you. That is, even if you’re not nearly the cheapest option.
The reasons that make the short-list describe what you offer. They’re the things your target customers value, your competitors don’t offer, and you can believably claim to deliver.
Getting across those two or three aspects makes all the difference.
When people understand them, they stay on your site.
It’s the foot you can stick in the door. It earns you your visitors’ attention and gives them a reason to want what you offer.
If you need help with figuring out what the core of your value proposition is, try this 5-step process.
And if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask them in the comments.
Right now, Peter Sandeen is probably knee-deep in snow with his wife and dogs (he lives in Finland). But you can download his 5-step system for finding the core of your value proposition and landing page checklist to improve your conversion rates.
Peter Sandeen
