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What is a conversion?

A common question we get during our client meetings is what a conversion is. For us, it's crystal clear and a natural part of Contitude's vocabulary. Here we take the opportunity to live as we learn and write a blog post about one of the most common questions we get during a customer meeting. For the avoidance of doubt, this is about a conversion in digital marketing and primarily linked to B2B marketing. This is also Contitude's take on conversions and there are many others who use the word conversion in other ways and mean other things.

What counts as a conversion according to Contitude?

A conversion is when a visitor to a website takes an action that provides you with some form of information about that person or makes a purchase. This means that a conversion can be anything from someone making a purchase, filling out a contact form, signing up for a newsletter, downloading a guide or providing their contact information through a chat on the website.

The difference between soft and hard conversion

We usually make a distinction between soft and hard conversion. The difference is about the intent of the conversion. A hard conversion should be with the intention of making a purchase or clearly moving down the marketing funnel. A soft conversion is one where you get contact information but the intention is not clearly to make a purchase. A clear example is when someone books a demo or an appointment through the website. This is a hard conversion and it is easy to understand that the intention is to make a purchase or to evaluate before a purchase. A soft conversion could be someone signing up for newsletters. It's a conversion where you get an email address and you know that someone is interested in what you are delivering but it doesn't have to be because there is an interest in buying your services or products.

A conversion should lead to a lead

Whether it is a hard or soft conversion, after a conversion you should have a lead. This does not mean that it is a hot lead but only that you have received a lead. There is also a clear difference between soft and hard conversion. A hard conversion should result in a hot lead and a soft conversion should result in a cooler lead.

How is it assessed whether it is a soft or hard conversion

In some cases, it is difficult to assess whether it is a soft or hard conversion. Take the example of a website visitor downloading a guide or whitepaper. If you've worked hard on developing different types of whitepapers, you've probably noticed that the same whitepaper can be downloaded by a hot lead and a cold lead. The same goes for different types of white papers or guides. Some are soft conversions and others are hard. The important thing is to make sure that there are processes behind that take care of the incoming leads so that they do not go to waste.We have developed an excellent template for writing white papers that you can find via the link below. DOWNLOAD THE WHITE PAPER TEMPLATE

Always measure conversions

Conversions are a measure that should always be included in the statistics that you as a digital marketer, salesperson or CEO should analyze. Whether you have a Marketing Automation system that keeps track of this for you or not, it is a good idea to save statistics on how many conversions occur.In the best of worlds, you have a Marketing Automation system that in connection with a conversion can actually show how this lead became a lead.

Then you can get answers to questions like:

  • How did the lead find you in the first place?
  • What pages did the lead visit before they completed the conversion?
  • How long did it take from the first visit to the website until the conversion took place?

This information will allow you to better plan how to allocate your marketing budget in the future. If all the leads come from Google Ads, put more of your marketing budget there. Or if no lead at all comes from Facebook, it's probably a good idea to stop spending time and energy on Facebook.

Follow up conversions

As mentioned earlier, every lead is valuable and it is important that they are not wasted by not following up. Whether you automate this using a Marketing Automation system or do it manually, there needs to be a plan to follow up on all conversions. If it's a soft conversion such as signing up for a newsletter, you just need to make sure that a newsletter is actually sent out at the specified frequency, but if it's a hard conversion, it's important that you find a way to connect with these leads in a pleasant way, whether it's through a follow-up email or a friendly conversation. Feel free to try out what suits you best. Often some methods work better on some conversions and on other conversions other methods work better.

Summary

A conversion is when a website visitor takes an action that results in you receiving their contact details. It can be anything from making a purchase to signing up for a newsletter.There is a difference between a soft and a hard conversion and it is important to understand the difference. A hard conversion is more valuable than a soft conversion.A conversion should always lead to a lead, whether it is a hot or cold lead. Make sure to always measure and follow up on leads so that you get the most out of your marketing efforts. Want help converting more of your visitors?

Book a meeting with us via the link below and we will be happy to tell you all we can. Book a meeting with Contitude

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