7 Hacks for Turning Visitors into Customers in the Era of Unlimited Choice

The modern internet user is exposed to over 10,000 ads every day. The sheer amount of information has made all of us so jaded that we don’t even take in most of what we see. However, when we go looking for something, we’re somewhat more focused and determined to get the best deal and solve the issue at hand, whatever it is.

The issue that arises now is practically unlimited choice. There are countless companies offering the exact same product or service. As an established brand, how can you hope to turn your visitors into paying customers, given the crippling effects of having limitless options?

1. Prove your expertise

Your first step is to prove that you can be trusted. No matter how good you are at what you do, if you don’t communicate your expertise clearly, all of your accreditations and certifications won’t count for much.

However, don’t make the mistake of overblowing your credentials. State plain facts and let them do the talking. January is a great example to look at. Their expertise is supported by their mainstream media features, the title of their co-founder, and the testimonials of medical professionals.

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Your goal is to adopt the same general principle: don’t overstate the obvious, but prove why you are an expert.

2. Make converting super simple

You also want to do whatever is in your power to make conversions easy and simple. The more hoops customers have to jump through, the higher the chances some of them will simply give up.

You also want to communicate ease of conversion very clearly. Take a look at Flamingo and how they’ve done it. This CTA is “Add to Slack,” and it couldn’t be a more direct way to tell your audience what they need to do and what the results will be.

If you aren’t able to achieve the same level of simplicity, aim for a straightforward conversion funnel.

3. Improve your CTA game

Speaking of CTAs, they’re often the most effective page element you can leverage to turn visitors into customers. Most of your competition will stick to the usual formats: “click here,” “buy now.” If you make your CTAs just a tad more effective (or personalized), you will get significantly ahead.

There are countless ways to word your CTAs. Your main goal is to keep them on brand and to ensure they mean something to your audience too. Sometimes, all you need is to imply a relationship.

For example, Touchland uses “get yours” as a CTA very effectively. It speaks directly to each customer while also making them feel like they’re becoming a part of a group.

4. Provide personalization options

Personalization can be used in many other ways to boost conversions. A very basic (however somewhat costlier) option is to offer the option to personalize your actual products.

For example, you can personalize the packaging. Even if you just print someone’s name on the delivery box, it can go a very long way. Function of Beauty, for instance, tells their customers they will get a personalized bottle of their product of choice. I Love Parcels offers a separate product that you can personalize.

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This tactic can be especially effective if most of your competition offers generic products that don’t stand out in any real way.

5. Offer something for free

Customers love freebies; there’s no denying that. They’ll often jump at the chance to get something at no cost whatsoever, even if they aren’t actually that interested in the product in question.

As a brand, you can offer something for free upfront, with the aim of getting your leads hooked. It can be a sample (as long as you limit the quantities, you can also play the FOMO card). Or, it can be a consultation, a digital product – anything that will make your visitors want to try more.

AMZ Pathfinder offers visitors the opportunity to schedule a free consultation. This allows leads to get all the information at their own convenience, but it’s so much more direct and personal than the website. Plus, it gives the brand’s sales reps a chance to close the deal more effectively.

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6. Leverage social proof

Social proof is another major conversion tactic you can easily benefit from. Just choose the format that best suits your audience. Reviews work great in the ecommerce space, while testimonials are better for service-based businesses.

Simply listing your previous customers can do a lot, too, as can listing your media mentions. Again, your aim is not to brag but to show visitors why they should be working with you.

Dress Forms USA references their major clients with great effect, for example, plus they have customer testimonials on the homepage too. This alone will help you decide if you want to work with them.

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7. Get straight to the point

Finally, you want to get to the point as soon as possible. Don’t add any elements to your pages that don’t serve a clear purpose and communicate something you’ve not said before. The more you repeat yourself and the more visitors need to scroll to convert, the less likely they are to do so.

Prep Center is a great example of consistency. They have a very simple homepage, which is not much more than a header (their USP) and a list of prep centers. It’s nothing fancy, they get right to the point, and visitors can convert in an instant.

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This isn’t saying you should make your pages completely minimalistic. You do need to provide enough information. How much is enough will depend on your niche, your industry, and the kinds of visitors you’re aiming to convert.

Wrapping up

While implementing some of these hacks will take a bit of time and effort, all of them will help you stand out and convert more customers. At the end of the day, however, you’ll want to base all your decisions regarding conversion optimization on data. Rely on the data you have already gathered about your customer base, and use the hacks we’ve discussed here as suggestions.