You already know that the last several months of 2020 have thrown a gigantic wrench into even the best-laid marketing plans. We aren’t running the creative we planned on running, we aren’t seeing the same seasonal spending trends we usually see, and we aren’t running the promotions we planned six months ago. Instead, it can feel like all we’re doing is making constant adjustments to accommodate “marketing” during a global pandemic.

But what if we decided to use this time to build better and stronger foundations for our marketing programs?

While we don’t have a lot of control over consumer appetites, regulations, quarantines, or the economy, we do have a lot of control over our ability to optimize our conversion funnels. The numbers just add up when it comes to optimizing your funnel. If you typically spend $300,000 a month in media and are able to improve your conversion rate by just .2%- going from a 1.8% conversion rate to a 2% conversion rate- and your average sale is $300, you’re increasing revenue by $180,000 per month. That is $2,160,000 per year.

There are countless ways to increase conversion rates. Here are just a few examples:

  1. Re-checking your landing pages in different browsers and mobile devices.

    Chances are if you launched your landing pages a few years ago and haven’t made any updates, they aren’t rendering well on the latest mobile devices. They might not even work at all in certain browsers.

  2. Stating your company’s differentiators and game-changers quickly and concisely.

    Do you provide same-day service? Are you locally-owned? Are you able to provide free or faster shipping? Are your products made in the USA and/or ethically sourced? Why are you better than those other guys? Make your case quickly and don’t bury it on a subpage of your website.

  3. Making calls-to-action easy to find (and use).

    Meet your consumers where they are. Do they prefer to make a phone call? Make sure your phone number is at the top of your page, make sure it’s prominent, and make sure you have enough staff in your call center during peak call times. Do your customers want to schedule an appointment online? Take the time to invest in this software and integrate it into your operations.

  4. Building additional landing pages for every service or product you offer, and not trying a “one landing page fits all” strategy.

    Show consumers that different products or services are your specialties and not just add-ons by building a landing page that speaks to each one.
    Bonus: If you’re running paid search, specific landing pages with copy that matches your keywords improves your quality score and lowers your media fees with lower cost per clicks (CPCs). Double win!

  5. Improving visual assets.

    Consumers have gotten accustomed to high-quality photography and video, and they expect to be able to take their shopping experience online. They’ve also grown less trusting, and oftentimes they want to see your services in action and can tell when you’re just pulling in stock photography. Photo and video shoots don’t have to be expensive, but they do need to be authentic. And they can pay dividends when it comes to increasing your conversion rates.

  6. Showcasing your credibility.

    Do you have a 5-star review rating on Google and Yelp? Are you servicing the best and biggest brands in the industry? Did you get a compelling write-up in an online journal? If so, show it off and make sure it’s one of the first things consumers see.

The possibilities for optimizing your marketing funnel are endless, and they can span from improved creative to efficiencies during the sales cycle (including follow-up after a sale). You can’t control the size of your potential market or consumer spending, but you CAN directly impact how much of that pie you get. Don’t let your marketing department fall into the “reactive” trap- go on the offensive and optimize that funnel!