From my book: “25 Things You Can Do to Get Better Results From Your Internet Marketing.”
[21] Improve Conversion Using “TARP”
Conversion is defined as getting someone to do something you want them to do at your website, at a social media touchpoint, or maybe from an email broadcast.
Conversion is what it’s all about. If you want more inquiries, and you want to close more sales, I highly recommend you optimize how you use TARP.
- Testimonials
- Awards
- Reviews & Ratings
- Professional Credentials
Testimonials are “social proof” and create an initial trust in the mind of a prospective new customer considering your products or services.
You can have a great-looking website, but that by itself does not always create trust. Unless a prospective new customer has some initial trust in you and your company, they are less likely to make an inquiry.
Everything you do with your internet marketing should be designed to create trust and make it more likely a prospective new customer will make an inquiry and then want to speak with you on the phone.
Awards
Again, like testimonials, awards are a form of social proof. In most cases, you won’t get awards overnight. Awards are a sign of an established business that consistently delivers high-quality products and services.
Reviews & Ratings
Thanks in part to Amazon, and websites like Angie’s List and Yelp!, the entire world is programmed to quickly look for reviews and ratings for the products and services they are interested in buying. I’m sure that most of you have looked at reviews and ratings yourself before you made a buying decision. Reviews and ratings are very powerful marketing tools that will help you get more inquiries and make more sales – that is, if you have good ones!
Obviously, if you have negative reviews, if you have multiple poor online reviews, your business is fighting an uphill battle and will be at a significant competitive disadvantage.
Professional Credentials
Securing membership in professional associations and adding professional credentials to your marketing and sales programs will help you close more sales. Professional credentials show you are clearly engaged in your industry and, if used properly in your marketing, give your company a solid competitive advantage.
Your ideal client should be the type that wants to hire “the best.” They typically are not just trolling for prices. Professional association memberships and professional credentials will help you attract better clients – not to mention better-paying ones.
Action Items
[ ] Take a look at your website – specifically, how you use TARP: testimonials, awards, ratings / reviews, and professional credentials throughout your site. Fix any and all weaknesses immediately.
[ ] Look at your social media streams. Are you regularly posting testimonials, awards, ratings and reviews, and professional credentials? Each social post should link back to your website.
[ ] If you only have a few testimonials, awards, ratings and reviews, or professional credentials, create an action plan to get more of them as soon as possible.
