Property marketers, what’s your problem?
Driving traffic to your website is all very well and good, but it’s what you do with that traffic that really counts.
How well your digital marketing performs is a product of two things: how much traffic you get and your ability to convert that traffic to leads. At any given time, you can improve performance by pulling on either of those two levers or both. It’s a pretty simple formula to understand but harder to apply.
In today’s property market a half-decent budget and some smarts gets you in the game. If you understand the channels, and what works natively in each (a vital topic we will cover separately), you will get in front of your audience. And whilst not to downplay this task, the bigger question that doesn’t get asked enough is: what are we doing with that traffic?
More leads, on the double.
Let’s say we want to double your leads. We can double your traffic, which would almost always mean doubling your budget. Not always an option even if you have the cash to splash; is your audience even big enough? Or we can improve your conversion rate through often simple optimisation. By the way, do you know your conversion rate off the top of your head? Do you recall the last time you implemented a change to your website specifically designed to improve conversion? Has your conversion been improving over time? Do you know if any of the last 3 updates to your website improved your conversion rate? Important questions.
Move the form, triple your leads?
Consider a recent example, where a successful test helped us triple the conversion rate on a property website by placing the full registration form on the top right-hand corner of the homepage. We were nervous because it didn’t look as aesthetically pleasing. But in the end that was a small price to pay to get three times as many leads. Now all our property websites have the form in the same spot.
Same same traffic, but different.
We’ve seen dramatic improvements in conversion by changing the colour of a CTA button. Working with a new client recently we gained 20% more leads (70 actual more leads) by adding a Google Map to the contact page. How about a visible phone number at all times in your header? Do you think you will get more phone calls? You will. Are you tracking phone calls? You should be.
To find the win, embrace the unknown.
For every successful website update, there might be two or three that fail or more likely, have negligible effect. You need to develop a framework and an appetite for testing, embracing some uncertainty. But consider the cost of changing the colour of a button, moving a form or adding a map, or even something more substantial like refreshing your homepage. And consider that these costs are incurred once – not every month – and keep paying off. The upside is exciting.
You don’t have a traffic problem.
If you’re looking at your monthly reports and wondering where your next big jump in leads is coming from, you should now have a clue. We’re pretty sure you don’t have a traffic problem, you have a conversion problem.
To see if we can help you with your conversions, contact me directly, Damien Cheney – Director of Digital. Or, fill out the form below!